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A month in the life of Adrian Comesana of Iberica

Published:  27 July, 2009

The summer has supposedly arrived but to me it seems like we are in February. Like the famous Manuel says in Fawlty Towers: "We miss the sunshine". Anyway, we have two months ahead of us and in those we can sell a range of marvellous white and rose wines. Rosés are growing so fast and every summer more and more clientele are asking for summery and fresh wines.

Adrian Comesana, restaurant manager and sommelier at Iberica, in Great Portland Street, London

The summer has supposedly arrived but to me it seems like we are in February. Like the famous Manuel says in Fawlty Towers: "We miss the sunshine". Anyway, we have two months ahead of us and in those we can sell a range of marvellous white and rose wines. Rosés are growing so fast and every summer more and more clientele are asking for summery and fresh wines.

This week I had a couple of appointments with wine suppliers. I'm looking for new rosés, something different from the rest of the wine by the glass that they give you in the pubs.

Navarra is an amazing region for this type of wine produced from mainly Garnacha, although there are other examples of Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Because of the credit crunch and the value of the euro against the pound, we are suffering. It's now so difficult to get reasonable prices and value.
Plus the customers don't spend on wine any more like the old times, nowadays they are looking for reasonable prices and good quality.

Holidays at last! One week is better than nothing. The truth is I am lucky, most of the sommeliers and people who work in restaurants cannot take even a few days in summer, like we say in Spain, "asi es la vida," as is life!

Anyway I have one week to try new wines and visit a couple of wine cellars in my region, Galicia. A good wine lover never gets a rest. This Saturday I will visit a familiar wine cellar in Monterrey, in the east of the province of Ourense bordering Portugal. The least well known of the Galician appellations has better news each year, because the new winemakers know how to take advantage of a unique varietal heritage that has amazing quality.

We arrive at 2pm but we do not have lunch till 3.30pm. We are drinking a lovely Godello, " Crego y Monaguillo" is the producer. A lovely white wine with a bright straw colour, green edge, expressive aroma, fruity palate and well balanced. Could Monterrei be the next "Rias baixas" outside Spain?

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