Gin Mare Mediterranean Gin, 70cl

Product Information

I like most of all a well-balanced and aromatic wine or spirit. Once a great wine maker in Spain told me that in the best wine you shouldn't be able to distinguish any of the varietals or barrel ageing - it should be a complete unique taste with expression of terroir and as natural as possible. A good spirit has to communicate, provoke and awaken the interest of the consumer.

After researching the ingredients, it is revealed that Rambla 41 contains some lovely sounding botanicals: almond, juniper, Angelica, orange and lemon peel. On re-tasting the gin with this new knowledge, I was still unable to distinguish any almond or angelica, but the citrus did then sneak through. There were some sweet notes too which may be from the almond after all. Mixed with tonic, Rambla 41 is unobtrusive and, disappointedly, unimpressive, making for a very ordinary gin & tonic. All in all – too subtle for my liking.Carlos Rodriguez Valpopi Ribera del Duero 2016 – NOT AVAILABLE (apparently this brand name is registered by Bodegas Viyuela S.L. in Burgos). Just like Rupert’s first single malt, this one is also from Speysidebut just a wee bit richer, meatier and sweeter in flavour. The nose is alive with tantalising fruit aromas of orange and lemon complemented by lovely toffee and vanilla notes. And the palate follows on really well with sweet flavours of citrus, apple, pear and butterscotch. The texture is soft, smooth and creamy, with a nice long finish. Naked Wines do not hide that winemaker Jorge Caus Pertegaz works for a “huge winery” but they immediately go on to mention that “his passion is getting into a small pet project of his own”, so that the reader is cunningly, swiftly transported to the fantasy world of vignerons. The bitter reality is that Jorge is the technical manager of, Font de la Figuera, Valencia based La Viña, a co-operative owned by 1,500 farmers who nurture a total of 2,400 hectares, that every year processes up to 13 Million kilograms of grapes. That is the equivalent to the volume processed by all 77 Spanish wineries registered with the appellation D.O. Bierzo.

Spaniards need not be too bothered with The Sunday Times Chris Haslams’ article on how to be Spanish. Not even by Jamie Oliver’s periodically recurring tweets on a more than creative version of paella with heaps of chorizo. The poor image of Spanish wine is not only more misleading for UK wine lovers but has also an enormous economic impact for the part of the Spanish wine industry that offers value added, quality wine with terroir-specific character. Heart touching, charity-style Naked Wines’ financial engineeringWhisky-loving Angels have been begging us to do a Single Malt for ages, so we paid a visit to our whisky wizz Rupert to see if he had anything special hiding up his sleeve. And lo and behold… he pulled out this beautifully-aged, smooth Speyside Scotch, poured us a wee dram, and put a great, big smile on our face. Our first-ever Norwich gin makers debut gin is a coastal-inspired number with lots of lovely flavours and aromas you’d traditionally find on the Norfolk coast. It’s the same recipe that won Silver at the IWSC awards as well as Best English Contemporary Gin at the World Gin Awards in 2021. A Spanish winemaker can work full time for one winery or consult with several, usually smaller producers. If the winemaker works on a consultancy basis, there is an additional figure such as the winery manager who looks after everyday tasks and helps implementing the winemaker’s guidelines. In this case, the identity of a wine is normally linked to the winery itself or the land where the grapes originate. Only very exceptional, renowned winemakers’ names occupy a space above a winery and a vineyard which in any case are there too as a wine’s credentials.