Wine Tasting-Cata de Vinos at Bla3

BCEA students got into the classroom last night for a special kind of class, a bilingual workshop on Wine Tasting at Bla3 in the Gracia district.

Wine tasting is something that demands concentration and an open mind; who´d have thought that you could pick out leather and olive aromas from sniffing a glass of wine? With the help of our bilingual wine dossiers we got to work on the complex and fun task of identifying colours, aromas, flavors and textures in the red and white wines that we sampled.

With the expert help of enologist Juan Manuel, and Bla3 founder Mónica we soon found that we too could identify complex aromas and tastes. Out of the 70 wine producing areas (denominaciones de origen) that exist in Spain today, we sampled a selection of five wines from the five most famous wine regions; La Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Rueda and the areas of Priorat and Penedés these last two in Catalonia.

We voted for our favourites, and also discussed wine and food combinations, Juan Manuel recommended that we select a wine which complements the dish we prepare rather than one that overwhelms it. We should look for a balance in strength and flavour. It was interesting to compare the difference in colour, taste and body between a young red wine selected from last year´s crop, and a four year old wine which has been in the oak barrel longer and how those flavours have developed.
A great evening overall, a little theory and

history and lots of practice!! We came away
with new vocabulary and new skills.

Next wednesday, the Gracia walking tour, which will uncover other little gems in this bohemian and artistic district of Barcelona.