October 9th-Malvar and Airén

Malvar and Airén are great examples of a dichotomous pair of wine grapes. Airén is the most widely planted white grape in Spain, with most plantings occurring in the central Spanish region of La Mancha. It is usually made into nondescript jug wines or distilled in the production of brandy. It has also been used in blends to lighten up the traditional Spanish red grape, Tempranillo. Malvar (also known as Lairén) is a very minor grape from the Andalusian region of southern Spain. Malvar is commonly confused with Airén but they are not usually planted in the same areas. Malvar produces wines with high levels of alcohol and acidity. It can be blended with Airén to contribute those qualities, along with some lightly aromatic properties. Malvar is occasionally used in the production of sweeter late harvest wines. Both Malvar and Airén grow in large bunches, do well on nutrient poor soils and are resistant to the drought conditions that are common in both regions.

This week, I had a 2022 Bodega Mas Que Vinos Clarete red wine blend from Spain. This wine is a blend of the red grapes Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache) which are fermented with the white grapes Malvar and Airén. Blends of white and red grapes aren’t very common with still wines, but when they are produced, the red and white wines are usually blended after fermentation. This wine was made using a slightly different method. The red and white grapes were all thrown into an amphora to coferment. This style of wine making used to be how Cȏte-Rȏtie wines were made in Rhȏne, but has mostly fallen out of practice. This wine is referred to a 5/4 blend by the producer, 5 parts of the 4 grape varieties. Tempranillo comprises 40% of the final blend and the others each account for 20%. It is a deeper ruby color that’s just dark enough that I can’t see through it. After letting the alcohol dissipate a bit, I can detect aromas of fresh and dried red cherries, black cherries, blackberries, black currants, licorice, butterscotch, white pepper and dried orange peel. The aromas are reminiscent of mulled wine. Despite the alcohol content being listed at a moderate level, it was quite overt when I first poured my glass. This dry wine has a lower level of acid and tannin. The fruit leaves the palate fairly quickly on the shorter finish. This bottle would be great with burgers or BBQ. It is reminiscent of mulled wine to me, which reminds me of a cold winter evening.