58 November 2012

Hearts of oak

Spanish wines are grouped according to their ageing process, writes Aloysius Tse

S pain is one of the most important wine producing countries in Europe. Its long wine history dates back to

the ancient times, when what were then the Roman provinces of Hispania were major sup-pliers to Rome itself. Today, Spain ranks as the world’s third largest wine producer after France and Italy.

Although Spain can be divided geographi-cally and climatically into a number of wine producing regions, the most prestigious are Rioja and Prioratio. Both regions are at the top of the five-tier classification system adminis-trated by the regional authorities. On top of these, there is the designation of Vino de Pago, which can apply to only 13 individual estates with an international reputation.

Rioja, in northern Spain, is dominated by plantings of Tempranillo and Gar nacha from which the region’s most prestigious red wines are made. The character of a traditional style Rioja is widely known to be the result of ageing in oak barrels. In Spain, American oak rather than the European species is predominantly used. American oak has a pronounced aroma that softens tannins and, with the appropriate level of toasting, imparts sweet coconut and vanilla flavours to the wine.

Under Spanish law, minimum periods of ageing in barrels are imposed. It is also manda-tory that the ageing takes place in the winery warehouse, or bodega in Spanish. So when you purchase a bottle of Rioja, be sure to under-stand what the label tells you to ensure you choose the right product to suit your palate.

Ageing requirements are briefly classified as follows:• Joven: These wines are made for immedi-ate consumption and have spent none or very little time in cask.• Crianza: Red wines must be aged for at least two full years after the vintage, of which a minimum period of at least six months to a year must be in oak casks. White and rosé

After hours

wines must spend at least a year in the winery with a minimum period of six months in oak.• Reserva: Reds must be aged for at least three years with a minimum period of 12 months in oak. White and rosé wines must be aged for a minimum of two years, of which at least six months should be in oak.• Gran Reserva: These wines are only allowed to be made in good vintages and must be aged for a minimum of five years with 18 months in oak. Whites and rosé wines require four years ageing with six months in oak.

These rules are very important and specific to the wine industry in Spain.

With its dry, warm climate, Spain has been traditionally known for the production of qual-ity red wines. However, the country’s most planted variety is a white grape, Airén, which can be found in abundance in the region of La Mancha in the Meseta Central, the large pla-teau in the middle of the country. Airén can be vinified into a simple, dry white wine widely consumed locally and is used in the production of a local brandy.

Albariño and Verdejo are the other popu-lar white grapes grown in Spain, and both have gained much recognition in recent years. Albariño produces light to medium bodied white wines while Verdejo, which is highly sus-ceptible to oxidation, can be made into a richer and fuller bodied wine and is derived from skin contact and barrel fermentation.

Another famous product is Sherry, a forti-fied white wine made largely from the Palo-mino grape, grown in the town of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, southwestern Spain. Sherry can be dry, medium or sweet. Palomino grapes are used to make dry Sherry while the Pedro Ximénez variety is added in the produc-tion of sweet Sherry.

Made from the local grapes of Macabeo, Parellada and the rustic Xarel-lo, the sparkling white Cava wine is seen as Spain’s answer to Champagne. It is produced in the same man-ner as the traditional method of production for Champagne and has become the most popular and commercially successful wine produced in the Catalonia region.

There has been a general perception, par-ticularly in Asia, that Spanish wines are less expensive and of a lesser quality than wines from France and Italy. However, one only has to look at wines from Bodegas Vega Sicilia, produced in Valbuena de Duero, near Val-ladolid in northern Spain, to realize that they are as expensive and well regarded as any first growth vintages from Bordeaux.

A bottle of value-for-money, quality red wine from other Spanish regions can be easily obtained for around HK$200 in Hong Kong’s wine shops.

Aloysius Tse is chairman of Bacchus Fine Wines Group and a past president of the Hong Kong Institute of CPAs.

A grape picker works at a vineyard in the O Rosal region of northwestern Spain. The Albariño grape variety harvested in the region produces light to medium bodied white wine.

AFP

November 2012 59

Bejewelled beauty

Watches set with precious gems do more than shine, writes Jemelyn Yadao

Af

watch’s simple aesthetic. The 36 mm case and bracelet is avail-able in rose gold, yellow gold and platinum.

Meanwhile, the new fem-inine Lady Datejust and Datejust Lady 31 also use precious stones to underline their subtle beauty. Both feature distinctive roman or arabic numerals and are set with rubies or blue sapphires that add a

delicate elegance to their designs. The Datejust Lady 31 also incorporates a bezel set with 48 bril-liant-cut diamonds.

Of course, the discreet use of pre-

cious stones is not the brand’s only approach. With a bezel entirely set with sapphires in a spectrum of colours, the new Rolex Cos-

mograph Daytona Rainbow makes a statement. The 40

mm model, initially designed for professional race car driv-ers, also bears three counters in unique yellow-gold crystals, a stark contrast against the black dial. The colours of the sapphires dazzle, juxtaposed against a 18-karat yellow gold case and bracelet.

Other luxury watchmakers use precious gems in a similar way

to evoke brilliance and stylish ele-gance. The Exceptional Pieces line by Piaget

M ore than 30 years ago, the allure of precious stones led to the creation of floating

diamonds. Ronald Kurowski, Chopard’s house designer, came up with the brand’s first Happy Diamonds watch – within which diamonds move freely between two sap-phire crystals.

Chopard’s craftsmen covered the dia-monds with a delicate film of gold to stop them from scratching the surfaces they touched. The watch, created for gentle-men, was so successful that the Swiss watchmaker decided to patent the design internationally.

Precious stones such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds can command steep prices depending on factors such as colour and rarity. Despite this, Kurows-ki’s love for radiant gems is still shared by many watch enthusiasts.

Luxury watch-makers have main-tained and developed their ranges of gem-decorated models and combined them with an array of tech-nological movements.

Rolex’s approach to the use of precious stones in watchmaking emphasizes simplicity. This year, the brand released a handful of new models including the Day-Date, fitted with a chocolate-coloured dial and eight diamond hour markers. Baguette-cut rubies or emeralds are positioned at six o’clock and nine o’clock to complement the

goes beyond this and lives up to its name with its use of bold designs and magnificent stones.

The collection includes the Limelight Garden Party watch,

a decorative piece of jewel-lery with 10 leaf-like, mar-

quise-cut emeralds that match its case shape. It takes 60 hours of gem-setting to create each piece, Piaget says. The green stones are

illuminated with bursts of brilliant-cut diamonds

in between them. The dial, set entirely with diamonds, is a

striking feature against the black satin strap.

Cartier, whose long his-tory has been associated with quality diamonds, has a range

of watches set completely with the most popular gemstone. Its Ballon Bleu de Cartier collection

includes the intricate 36 mm Diamond River, which features a case, dial and bracelet in 18-karat white gold set with baguette-cut diamonds. It also features a fluted crown set with a sapphire cabo-chon, sword-shaped blue steel hands and is available in pink gold set with round diamonds.

The Flying Tourbillon, part of the same collection, is a perfect marriage of techno-logical innovation and classic design. The watch owes half its allure to a flying tour-billon complication with a C-shaped index indicating the seconds, a manual winding calibre and a power reserve of about 50 hours. It is its diamond decorated case and bracelet, however, that elevates the time-piece to a lustrous level.

Piaget Limelight Garden Party

Ballon Bleu de Cartier