Bodegas Aalto

 

 

Aalto Vineyard

 

The dirt track climbs in to the shrub covered hills and in to a small valley planted with vines which stand dark and leafless on bare, brown earth. The winery stands on a mound, its stark frame battered by cold winds from snow capped mountains in the distance. A slim, smiling girl in a red jacket leads the way into the inner sanctum. She talks about conical fermentation tanks, carbon dioxide and pumping over.

 

Aalto Winery

 

Aalto is a creation of Mariano Garcia – Vega Sicilia’s winemaking director for 30 years and Javier Zaccagnini – former head of Ribera del Duero’s Consejo in 1999. They cultivate 90 ha of 40 to 100 year old Tinto Fino in seven villages in the Burgos area of Ribera del Duero – Roa, La Horra, La Aguilera, Fresnillo, Moradillo, Hontoria, and Banos de Valderados. The grapes are vinified in their state of the art winery in Quintanilla de Arriba.

 

Conical fermentation vat

 

Aalto is made in most years and the top wine – Aalto PS (Pagos Seleccionados) in exceptional vintages.

 

HMWS members meeting Javier Zaccagnini at Aalto

 

I tasted both wines from the 2011 and 2010 vintages in May this year. The vintages are rated as ‘Excellent’ by the Ribera del Duero Consejo Regulador. The 100% Tinto Fino wines are very dark, fragrant, have lovely texture and silky tannins and are perfectly poised. The 15% alcohol is not perceived. Aalto is aged for 20 months in 50% new French oak and PS for 22 months in 100% new French oak. PS costs twice as much as the ordinary Aalto but undoubtedly has twice the quality. It is an absolute delight and Aalto is a winery to be kept firmly in focus.

 

Eating, Drinking & Walking In Mallorca – Day 5

On our fifth day in Mallorca, we spent a couple of hours exploring La Granja, hiked from Eporles to Banyalbufar on the ancient ‘Postman’s Route’, tasted Malvasia at the Banyalbufar Co-op and went to dinner at Can Amer in Inca.

La Granja

You hear and see the springs as you walk up to La Granja, the 17th century finca in the woods near Esporles. The Moors loved it here and built mills. Jaime 1 gave it Count Nuno Sans after the conquest and he intern gifted the estate to the Cistercians. Today this beautiful property is privately owned and is run as a ‘working museum’ and is well worth a visit. The museum shop sells seriously good fig cakes. (Open daily from 10am to 6pm. http://www.lagrnaja.net)

Cami des Correu

GR 221 or ‘Postman’s Route’ used to be the only footpath to the cost, used by the postman and ordinary village people. The stony path runs along the edge of the Tramuntana Mountains on the west coast of Mallorca.

Most of the path runs through wooded hillsides with Holm Oak (Quercus ilex, evergreen, Southern European native with spiny leaves), Strawberry Trees (Arbutus unedo, native to Western Europe and the Mediterranean basin) and wild olive trees.

The area is littered with ancient lime pits, charcoal makers little settlements with mounds, platforms and stone huts and Moorish irrigation channels and water reservoirs, sometimes containing fish.

Lime pit

Charcoal making platforms

Reservoir

The path emerges from the woods to magnificent vistas of the rugged coastline and the decent towards Banyalbufar begins.

The hillside is terraced and planted with vegetables, fruit trees and Malvasia vines.

We walk through Banyalbufar to one of the terraces to taste Malvasia wine – dry, crisp and lovely, from the local cooperative. The lunch they provided on the sun-kissed terrace was simple but delightful and immensely satisfying – salt free Mallorcan bread, olive oil, lovely fat Camaiot sausages, Sobrassada (finely minced pork sausage, flavoured with paprika) olives, tomatoes, pickled chillies and oranges. As we left, they presented each one of us with a bottle of their excellent Malvasia.

Dinner that evening was at cellar restaurant Can Amer in Inca with a selection of local wines. First, at the wine shop across the road from the restaurant we tasted a Cava made from Garnacha, a first for me.

Martin Ward with Chef Tomeu

Eating, Drinking & Walking In Mallorca – Day 4

It’s another beautiful day in Mallorca. After an early breakfast at Sa Bisbal in Selva, we drive to Palma to catch the mid morning vintage train to Soller. Following a quick visit to the Miro and Picasso exhibitions at the handsome Soller railway station, we hike to the pretty village of Fornalutx about 4 km northeast of Soller for a Mallorcan lunch at the homely Es Turo and walk the easy way back to Soller. We are back in Selva for the siesta and dine at the magnificent Sa Torre in Santa Eugenia that evening.

MARKET DAY IN SELVA

Wednesday is market day in Selva, a rather subdued affair in comparison to most Spanish village markets. Mainly fruit and vegetables are sold in the little square in front of the church from early morning.

Glum, red-faced man selling cheeses and hams stands alone

 TRAIN TO SOLLER

 

The hundred year old narrow gauge train is still in good shape and does the 28 km to Soller on the other side of Serra de Tamuntana in under one hour.

15 mts. after leaving Palma, the city suburbs are behind and you rock and roll through the flat agricultural land with endless groves of citrus, cherries and almonds straight at the Tamuntana mountains past Bunyola. You tunnel through the mountains, the longest taking 5 mts.

There are six or seven departures from Palma station daily. An ordinary one-way ticket costs €12.50 (cash only) and are not pr-bookable. http://www.trendesoller.com

It is cooler in the mountains and the train stops for a few minutes in the middle of nowhere for you to admire the thousand metre high crags and the deep valleys.

SOLLER

 

The train station is a pretty building with a wide stone staircase and houses an exhibition of ceramics by Picasso and paintings by Miro, whose maternal grandfather was from Soller. (Daily 10.30am to 6.30pm. Entrance is free)

Trams to Port Soller on the coast stop right next to the train station.

The small and compact Placa Constitucio, crowded with cafes is dominated by the massive neo-Gothic church of St Bartomeu.

SOLLER CIRCUIT

This is a 9km circular walk from Soller to the village of Fornalutx via  Biniaraix with an approximate ascent/descent of 300m and taking about 3 hours.

Jes from excellent Mallorca Hiking led the walk (www.mallorcahiking.com). We climbed steadily through orchards with Moorish irrigation channels and dry- stone walls.

Ancient wash house fed from mountain springs

The countryside appeared stunning in the morning light

The path cuts through the tiny mountain village of Biniaraix

Fornalutx is often called the most beautiful village in Mallorca

The pretty square of Fornalutx

We took the easy way back to Soller, many along country lanes

There were more elaborate wash houses…

…and orange trees heavy with fruit

LUNCH AT ES TURO

The restaurant is situated just a couple of minutes uphill from main square in Fornalutx and serves homely Mallorcan food at very reasonable prices.The outside terrace overlooking the valley is a great place to sit and sip a draught Estella or a glass or rosé. We ate salads, truita (tortilla with garlic and potatoes), sopas Mallorquina (a thick vegetable soup), Frito Malloriquina (Pig’s offal, potatoes and onions cooked with oil) and much more.

DINNER AT SA TORRE DE SANTA EUGENIA

Sa Torre in Santa Eugenia is only an agriturismo restaurant but served one of the best meals of the week in Mallorca. You drive through extensive vineyards to the old, cavernous building that serves as the restaurant. Inside, it is spotless and elegant and staff discreet. The room is dimly lit and pleasantly warm. We sip Cava first and various delightful manifestations of Prensal Blanc and Manto Negro with a succession of satisfying dishes. This is a place well worth revisiting. (www.sa-torre.com)

At the end of the evening, the chef comes out to chat with the diners

Related articles

• Mallorca (Part V) – Day 3: Moorish Mallorca and the Sóller Ferrocarril (daily-norm.com)
• Mallorca: an island of stark contrasts (expandyourlimits.wordpress.com)
• The Magic of Northern Mallorca (onthebeach.co.uk)
• Mallorca Conquest: Palma, Sóller, y Deia (forrestlittle.wordpress.com)
• Yacht Charter Itinerary: The Balearic Islands of Spain (examiner.com)

Eating, Drinking & Walking In Mallorca – Day 3

On a warm sunny morning, we embarked on our first hike in the Tramuntana Mountains – the 9 km guided walk from Calvi to Puigpunyent through beautiful countryside, visited the fine family run Bodega of Son Puig with its ancient manor house, orchards and 7 ha. of vineyards to taste and lunch, and after a short rest at our base Sa Bisbal in Selva, drove to Lloseta for dinner with a young, shy and pretty winemaker at a restaurant well known for its fish dishes.

CALVIA TO PUIGPUNYENT

A brief history of Calvia from Jes…

We walked through lemon groves with Sant Joan Baptista on the hill dominating the landscape

Fiona and Jes from Mallorca Hiking met us at the car park near the thirteenth-century parish church of Sant Joan Baptista in Calvia, glowing in the morning sun.

We walked steadily uphill through narrow alleyways and a winding road pass impressive villas to the beginning of the foot path through the woods.

Walking was easy at first…

…then it became more difficult

At places it was only a narrow footpath through the thick vegetation

A well earned rest on a ridge

Wild gladioli

Orchids

Unknown plants!

Brightly coloured flowers

Almonds

Wild fennel

Trees covered in lichen

Red wild gladioli were in bloom and there were isolated orchids. Lichen covered lower branches of most trees with broad leaves. Chaffinches and Redbacked Shrikes were spotted.

Water has always been a precious commodity here the Moors who were good irrigation engineers built channels to bring water from mountain springs to covered stone reservoirs.

Four hours later, we cleared the final stile and drove to Puigpunyent for our tasting and  lunch at Son Puig.

View Larger Map

SON PUIG

We drove through olive groves and an orchard filled with cherry trees heavy with pink blossoms to the sprawling seventeenth century manor house. On the shady terrace overlooking the valley, Isabelle and her father poured Son Puig whites and reds to go with the a procession of Mallorcan tapas. The sun was shinning and a cool breeze rustled the palm leaves. Bonelli’s eagles circled lazily  above. More wine was poured and conversation became more animated. It was a splendid lunch.

Tasting on the terrace

Isabelle & Martin with tapas

Food & wine

Olive grove

Family chapel

Water reservoir

Barrel cellar

Isabelle with daughter

Isabelle’s parents

CA’N CARROSSA

 

Mireia, the pretty young winemaker from Bodega Can Majoral was waiting for us at the entrance to Ca’n Carrossa in the little town of Lloseta. She greeted Martin like a long lost friend. The dinning room with huge glass windows overlooked the pool and a happy and chatty girl from Marrakech made sure our glasses were never empty. The food was excellent and we drank Mireia’s impressive wines from native grapes – Buti Ba Lau Si white with Prensal Blanc, Parellada and Chardonnay and the Rose with Callet, Tempranillo and Syrah. The  Giro Blanc was excellent and the oak aged Buti Ba Lau Si red was most pleasing.

I made a mental note to visit the estate next time I am in Mallorca.

Eating, Drinking and Walking in Mallorca – Day 2

Dawn of Another Day

The church tower glows golden in the slanting morning light against a clear blue sky. I brew coffee and listen to the pigeons cooing on the balcony.

Breakfast is eaten in the garden. Oranges are squeezed and pots of tea and coffee made. The scent of freshly baked bread is in the air. Slices of dry cured ham and Mahon cheese are neatly arranged on a large white platter. Little bowls are filled with fragrant home made jams and Salsa de Tomate with crushed garlic, pungent but delicious. And then there is Ensaimada de Mallorca, the spiral pastry made with strong flour, water, sugar, eggs and reduced port lard and filled with sweet cream.

Wines of Mortitx

The 20 ha. Estate of Mortitx, established in 2001, is in Escorca, 1200 feet up in the wild and rugged Tramuntana Mountains. The modern and well-equipped winery was built in 2005.

A rough, stone strewn dirt track through a forest of ancient olive trees take you to the 10ha vineyard in a valley with its own rocky soil and microclimate and planted with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Monastrell and Malvasia. There are stonechats among the vines and black vultures circle overhead.

We taste the range of Mortitx wines with Mallorquin tapas under the mimosa trees on the terrace adjoining the winery. The 2011 Malvasia is light, dry and fresh and could do with some residual sugar. Flares Rose 2011 from Monastrell, Syrah and Tempranillo is aromatic but too dry. Selection Rose 2011 is barrel aged and only 800 bottles are made in any vintage. Lerguil Blanc is rich but is made in an oxidative style. Rodal Pla Tinto 2009 is a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tempranillo. Syrah 2008 was made to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Vinyes Mortitx. L’u Tinto 2009, a rich rounded and balanced wine from Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot aged in French oak for twenty months, is easily the best wine of the tasting. Dolce de Gel from late harvest Riesling and Muscadelle grapes frozen for 24 hours is flabby and uninteresting.

http://www.mortitx.com

A Short Walk In Palma

The Romans first established a military post here and called it Palmaria but it was the Moors who made Medina Mayurka a major seaport protected with three concentric walls. Jaume 1 of Aragon started work on the cathedral, which took nearly 500 years to complete, when he took Palma from the Moors in 1229. Today, this massive sandstone beauty, together with the adjoining Palau de l’Almudaina, seen from the waterfront, is one of Europe’s most stunning sights.

Street artist and subject

The Royal Palace next to the cathedral

Garden similar to the one in the Alhambra in Granada

Apple pie with ice cream, scones and coffee

Dinner at Miceli

Mahon gin introduced to Menorca by the British, served in a large glass with ice, tonic and strawberry at Hotel Sa Bisbal

Restaurant Miceli in Selva

Chef & her workplace

View from the terrace

Miceli is a small but stylish restaurant in Selva run by a husband and wife team in their family home. It is only a short walk from Sa Bisbal, our base in Selva. The husband greets you at the door and leads you through a courtyard to the dinning room at one end of which is the neat and well-equipped kitchen. The terrace overlooks the valley and is a lovely spot to watch the sun set sipping a Mahon gin & tonic. We drink Mortitx wines with the six course tasting menu and don’t feel the late evening chill as we walk home.

View Larger Map

Eating, Drinking and Walking in Mallorca – Day 1

A dozen members of the Harrogate Medical Wine Society spent a week in Mallorca in April 2013, visiting vineyards and producers and tasting their modern wines, sampling the cuisine and hiking in the Tramuntana Mountains. This is their story.

GETTING THERE

Selva seen from the approach road

We left home before dawn. The car was left at Leeds/Bradford airport. Girls at the Jet2 desk were bright and smiling and check-in was pain free. Yorkshire Premier Lounge had hardly anything for breakfast. I ate biscuits and drank black coffee. The flight to Palma was uneventful. Stewards tried their best to sell snacks and drinks and scratch cards for ‘charity.’ Martin and Christina met us at the airport and we drove to Selva in a smart and comfortable sixteen seater Mercedes. There was wall-to-wall sunshine.

Yorkshire Premier Lounge is open daily from 5am to 8pm and provides complimentary snacks, tea & coffee, alcoholic beverages, newspapers & magazines and Wi-Fi. (ID: LBAPREM, Password: harrogate). There are no toilets but flights are called. Cost per person is £17.50. Priority Pass, IOD and Airport Angel cardholders gain free access.

SA BISBAL IN SELVA

The coach stopped in the village square between the church and the bar. We walked up the narrow street to Sa Bisbal and then up a stone stairway to our rooms. I had room 6 on the top floor. It had a corner bath and a balcony overlooking the church. Back on the square, we sat in the sun and ate olives, hamon serrana, tomatoes and bread and drank ice-cold Estella beer. Later at lunch at Sa Bisbal in the garden under the palm tree, we feasted on Aubergine pâté, Aioli, Mallorcan bread, fideua and Walnut ice cream with pastry and drank copious amounts of white wine from Marques de Alella, Parellada and Codorniu and Lens’ own plum and walnut liquor. We were then ready for the tour of the church and Len’s Selva gallery.

Sa Bisbal is a former seventeenth century Mallorcan manor house in the historical center of Selva, a little village at the foot of the Serra de Tramuntana. It has six individually styled bedrooms on three floors (no lift!) and a Mediterranean garden with a small swimming pool and is owned and run by Englishman Len Barnsdale with his Mallorcan wife.  Wi-Fi is available.  Continental buffet breakfast is served between 8 and 10 am. The hotel is situated next to the fourteenth century church of Sant Lorenc.

Selva church

Sa Bisbal

Room six

At the bar

Drinking before lunch

Lunch at Sa Bisbal

Fideua

WINES OF MALLORCA

The evening started with an introduction to wines of Mallorca from Martin Ward. Mallorca is not exactly renowned for her wines. However, since the late 1980s, efforts have been made to raise the standard of Mallorcan wines with new plantings of indigenous varietals such as Manto Negro, Pransa Blanca and Mallet together with international varietals and the establishment of new wineries. Binissalem was awarded DO status in 1991 and Pia i Lievant in 2000.

Off to Caimari for dinner

In Caimari

Ca’an Toneta

Dinner at Ca’an Toneta

Martin with chef

DINNER AT CA’AN TONETA

A fleet of taxis took us to the village of Caimari, two kms. down the road from Selva. Small and cosy Ca’an Toneta is run by two sisters, Maria and Teresa. One cooks and the other serves. The tasting menu was broad Bean soup with garlic, salad with raw tuna, Coca - pizza like bread with topping, bacalao with purple artichokes, pork with cabbage and carrot cake with orange juice. We drank endless bottles of Prensal Blanc by Divin (13 months in French oak, dark yellow, oxidative in style like Georgian whites with evident oak), Oliver Moragues 2011 Sauvignon Blanc & Prensal Blanc, and Fernando Coca’s Divin (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon & Manto Negro). It was well past midnight when we finally crawled in to bed.

Yorkshire Premier Lounge

Mallorca from air

Sa Bisbal

Sa Bisbal

Sa Bisbal

Sa Bisbal garden

Sa Bisbal lounge

Related articles

• Mallorca: The Last Spanish Wine Frontier (catavino.net)
• Mallorca (Part VI) – Food Focus 2: Simply Fosh (daily-norm.com)
• Mallorca Conquest: Palma, Sóller, y Deia (forrestlittle.wordpress.com)
• Mallorca: an island of stark contrasts (expandyourlimits.wordpress.com)

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 5,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 8 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.