Lessons learned in the Roero and Spain

I recently spent two weeks drinking nothing but Piemontese wine (mostly from the Roero: arneis, barbera, and nebbiolo) followed by one week drinking nothing but Spanish wine (mostly Sherry and Ribera del Duero) and Spanish beer (about which the less said the better). Some tentative conclusions:

• Roero Arneis has become my favorite all-around Italian white wine. There are crisper, lighter whites from the Alto Adige and weightier ones from Campagna, but Roero Arneis always satisfies and works well with so many different foods. The match that really surprised me was Arneis with a remarkable composition of raw seafood at Davide Palluda's remarkable Ristorante All'Enoteca in Canale (betwen Torino and Alba). At present, we have two in stock: Marco Porello's Roero Arneis 'Camestri' 2004 (a remarkable bargain at $11.99) and Bruno Giacosa's Roero Arneis 2004 ($28). I can't wait to try them with sushi.

• There is no better feeling than harvesting beautiful barbera or nebbiolo grapes all day long and then sitting down to a four hour Piemontese meal at the table of the family with whom you've spent the day harvesting. If this idea appeals to you, talk to me, as I'll be organizing a small group of serious pickers and eaters to go to Piemonte for the 2006 harvest.
  

• As Francisco Alarcón de Icaza pointed out many years ago, there is no fate so piteous as to be blind in Granada - or, I would add, unable to hear, smell, or taste. The city rewards all the senses. I also discovered that, once you find the "grown-up" bars, it's a good place to try a range of excellent tintos from Ribera del Duero. Ask me for recommendations if you're headed there.

• Bierzo is the popular, new red wine in Madrid - no doubt thanks to our mention of it in the August 2005 PMW newsletter. Álvaro Palacios has brought a lot of attention to this area in the northwestern corner of Castilla y León with his single-vineyard offerings. But there are quite a few other producers making excellent wines, and every tapas bar seems to have one by the glass. The grape variety is mencía, and many of the steep hillsides of Bierzo are planted with old vines. Some have compared mencía to cabernet franc. There doesn't seem to be any genetic relationship, but the wine's medium body, slightly herbaceous quality, and dusty tannins make the analogy plausible. We've got Pieque Bierzo 2004 ($11.99, unoaked) and Pittacum Bierzo 2002 ($20), so let one of them be your introduction - and goad for a trip to Madrid (or Castilla y León).