Arabic Hell's Angels wine wins Divas' love
The wine in question is Albiker ($11.99), a wickedly delicious 2004 Rioja from Bodegas Luberri. This is not your typical Rioja. It's young, fresh, fruity, and sin roble (no oak). It's the sort of thing you drink in tapas bars in northern Spain. We've been enjoying it with all kinds of summer foods, including some spicy Mediterranean dishes. This is an excellent barbecue wine, but it's certainly not limited to that application.
Albiker was the favorite wine of the evening at a recent dinner attended by the Dining Divas and their Dudes. (Cheryl said that I had to mention them, though why I'm not sure, since they have neither a Web site nor a blog and don't admit new members - ah, the lust for gustatory glory....) Albiker's competition for the Divas' favor included a Pegäu Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2000 (no longer available from PMW) and Remelluri Rioja 2001 ($29). Maybe it was that outlaw biker thing that got the Divas going. I personally found the Châteauneuf and Remelluri more compelling, but I wouldn't argue with Albiker's direct appeal and all-around food friendliness.
We also carry Bodegas Luberri's Rioja Reserva 2001 ($17). 2001 was an excellent vintage in Rioja, and the reservas have started to arrive. If, like me, you're a fan of Rioja, now is a good time to try some of the 2001s.
"What's the difference between Albiker and Luberri's regular Rioja", you might ask? Albiker sees no oak, as I mentioned. Rioja Reserva must by law be aged for at least one year in oak and at least three years total (barrel aging plus bottle aging). In addition, Albiker is made with a technique called carbonic maceration, in which the winemaker delays crushing the grapes and lets the whole berries ferment for a time. The result is a wine with intense berry aromas and freshness.
Paul Marcus points out that Albiker reminds him of how certain Côtes-du-Rhônes smelled some years ago, before the current fad for more intense wines and higher alcohol took hold. Let's hear it for light and lithe red wines!
I suspect that Albiker is the wine that Luberri's Web site calls Maceración Carbónica or a variation thereof, named and labeled for the American market. So where the hell does the name "Albiker" come from, I wonder?
Albiker was the favorite wine of the evening at a recent dinner attended by the Dining Divas and their Dudes. (Cheryl said that I had to mention them, though why I'm not sure, since they have neither a Web site nor a blog and don't admit new members - ah, the lust for gustatory glory....) Albiker's competition for the Divas' favor included a Pegäu Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2000 (no longer available from PMW) and Remelluri Rioja 2001 ($29). Maybe it was that outlaw biker thing that got the Divas going. I personally found the Châteauneuf and Remelluri more compelling, but I wouldn't argue with Albiker's direct appeal and all-around food friendliness.
We also carry Bodegas Luberri's Rioja Reserva 2001 ($17). 2001 was an excellent vintage in Rioja, and the reservas have started to arrive. If, like me, you're a fan of Rioja, now is a good time to try some of the 2001s.
"What's the difference between Albiker and Luberri's regular Rioja", you might ask? Albiker sees no oak, as I mentioned. Rioja Reserva must by law be aged for at least one year in oak and at least three years total (barrel aging plus bottle aging). In addition, Albiker is made with a technique called carbonic maceration, in which the winemaker delays crushing the grapes and lets the whole berries ferment for a time. The result is a wine with intense berry aromas and freshness.
Paul Marcus points out that Albiker reminds him of how certain Côtes-du-Rhônes smelled some years ago, before the current fad for more intense wines and higher alcohol took hold. Let's hear it for light and lithe red wines!
I suspect that Albiker is the wine that Luberri's Web site calls Maceración Carbónica or a variation thereof, named and labeled for the American market. So where the hell does the name "Albiker" come from, I wonder?
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