Wine of the Week
Ilurce Garnacha 2021 Rosé - Bodegas y Viñedos Ilurce S.A.T.
Region - DOCa Rioja
Varieties - 100% Garnacha Tinta
ABV - 13.5%
Approximately 5€ in Spain
When I moved to Rioja at the start of the year I was struck by how big of a wine region it was. I’d come from Terra Alta in Catalunya, which seemed big enough, being a little over 5,000 hectares. But Rioja has 65,000 hectares planted and is home to well over 500 producers. Put simply, an awful lot of wine is made here. You think you know the basics but how much of this did I really know?
I’ve been in the wine business quite a while now and have mainly focused on Spain. I’d even lived and worked in Rioja before. But driving around even just my part of the region and going out on the town in Logroño brought it home to me just how much there was to learn. Spanish wine lovers can probably reel off maybe 10 or 20 names, but what about the rest?
So when I heard about a tasting put on by a grouping of independent family wineries, “Bodegas Familiares de Rioja”, I jumped at the chance. I love big wine tastings and this sounded like just the ticket - a chance to discover bodegas I’d never heard of, see where styles were going and talk to the producers. Even better, the tasting was located at the Riojaforum, an impressive modern building on the banks of the Ebro. In a country with an above-average share of white elephants - Castellón airport anybody? - it’s nice when they get it right.
The organisation was also unusually good. No queues, 10€ in support of Ukrainian refugees - I was handed a glass and was off. Glad I got there early as it soon filled up, but in the first 45 minutes or so I made a lot of progress. Early on I chanced across Bodegas y Viñedos Ilurce, from eastern Rioja, with a friendly-looking chap at the helm. Perfect. The rosé literally stood out, having an extremely vibrant young colour. Of course I wanted to try it.
I don’t know about you but I am completely bored by the fashion for pale Provençal type rosés. OK, it’s a valid style, it’s been a huge success, but it’s not the only option. Wine is about variety, not aping the competition and the sooner it becomes ok to drink deeper pink wines again, the better.
I like the colour of this wine a lot. Quite a deep pink with almost bluey hint. Not quite into radioactive territory but definitely no shrinking violet. Talking of violets, it’s parma violet overload on the nose and oranges plus something a bit deeper like mulberries. The palate is full, ripe and bold but unsophisticated. There’s pomegranate, cherry candy and some red rope liquorice offsetting the strawberry bubblegum hint. You get the picture. A glorious seaside postcard of a wine, upfront, vibrant, out and proud - a real glugger. Making wine fun again.