In the opinion of the journalist, aspects such as balance or originality are matters to be highly taken into account when evaluating a wine

26.04.2009 | 

The renown journalist and expert in the world of wine, José Peñín, will be imparting a conference at the National Trade Fair on Wine, main objective of which will be to explain to the winemakers the values that the great gurus of wine actually highlight during a tasting session. Along with Carlos González, Coordinator of the Guía Peñín, he will be reeling off "How wine gurus score - criteria for evaluation of wines to obtain higher scores in international guides", the same to take place on May 5th, as of 6.00 PM in Aula 4.

When it comes time to evaluate a wine, Peñín explains, "all of us are very much in agreement, as we follow the same style", tasting wines with the label in front of us, and forgetting about all the emotional concepts that can alter the perception of the wine. "The idea is to carry out a reflective tasting session, allowing your mind to go blank so as to find the wine's equilibrium".

During his conference, José Peñín will refer to "how we hold" a tasting session, which quite often are blind tastings, in which the wine's index card is not used because "we do not want to parcel off the senses, given that the sum of the scores of each one of the senses does not always coincide with the overall impression".

Balance and originality

Balance and, in a very special way, the originality of a wine are questions that are highly valued in a tasting session. "The idea is to not transmit our personal tastes", which can condition the conception or categorization of a wine, he adds.

The lecture that will be hosted at the 5th edition of FENAVIN will be particularly addressed to the winemakers, attempting to transmit to them the vital aspects when it comes time to design a wine with a good score". In that pertaining to this last aspect, Peñín explains that "we are now in the era of communication, in which a score has more value than a medal". "Currently people are in search of a signature name; the responsibility must correspond to the wine taster", which is not the case when the evaluation is carried out by a panel, he maintains.

FENAVIN is an active trade fair

José Peñín recalls that in the beginnings of the trade fair, which has counted with his presence from its very first edition, he already wagered on an event with a national scope "that would highlight Spanish wine". For him, the birth of FENAVIN represented "turning the clock back 30 years, when the first Spanish trade fair on wine was created, Vibexpo". In his opinion the added values of this trade fair are that it started with the support of the administration and its reasonable prices.

In his opinion, currently one of the main assets of this trade fair that is held in Ciudad Real is the permanent contact with the different communication media groups, with the sector, because "this is an active fair, not a passive one". And, he concludes, this despite being held every two years, because "there are more than enough reasons for it to be held on an annual basis".

The Guía Peñín on wines from Spain has selected 28 wines for FENAVIN (Osiris Pavilion, Lane A 2, Terroir; A 34, Castilla-La Mancha), which are to be a reflection of the current situation of wines in our country, in a space that is differentiated by two specific themes: Guía Peñín 2009 Selection, Wines from Castilla la Mancha and Guía Peñín 2009 Selection Terroir Wines.

Guía Peñín 2009 Selection, Wines from Castilla la Mancha draws together the most representative elaborations of the Autonomous Community of Castilla la Mancha, with a total of 18 wines that have been selected because of their high scores, from all the production areas of La Mancha, such as Mancha, Manchuela, Tierra de Castilla, Almansa, Méntrida...

Guía Peñín 2009 Selection, Terroir Wines, will highlight 10 wines / wineries with a unique and differentiated personality, this thanks to the character of the terroir, achieved by a combination of its climates, type of soils, geographic situation and, of course, the work that takes place in its vineyards. Thus ten wineries from ten different areas have been selected, with the idea being to represent the great diversity of terroirs that cohabit in Spain. The areas that will be represented are Madrid, Málaga, Rioja, Terra Alta, Rueda, Ribera de Duero, Ribera del Guadiana, Priorat, Calatayud and Alicante.