Putting tasting lessons to the test in Spain

Karim Ghazanfar, business development manager at Majestic Wine, blogs about his study tour to Spain after winning the Group Cordorniu Scholarship.

"When I passed the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 3 Advanced Certificate with a distinction, I was also lucky enough to win the Group Codorníu Scholarship, which took me on a four-day study tour to Spain. The trip was hugely informative and definitely put my wine tasting skills, acquired through the WSET course, to the test.

"My trip began at the Codorníu winery at Sant Sadurní d’Anoia in the Penedes region of Catalonia where our host, Vincent, showed us around the winery and the impressive underground cellars. What struck me first was the modernist Catalan architecture of the winery, which was designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch and is fantastic. The scale of the operation is very grand, the underground cellars are the size of around 40 football pitches and stretch over five floors and can hold up to 100 million bottles.

"We got to taste Selección Raventos, Anna de Codorníu, Reina Maria Cristina, Codorníu Pinot Noir and Jaume de Codorníu. I particularly enjoyed the latter for its biscuity nature and complexity achieved by its 18-24 month ageing process. I feel this makes Jaume a serious rival for many of the more expensive Champagnes.  After studying wine for so long, seeing the workings behind Spain’s biggest sparkling wine producer really brought the learning to life.

"We then travelled North to the stunning Scala Dei winery set on the hills of Priorat.  Scala Dei has 60 hectares of vineyards where the average age of the vines is 30 years and I thought the wines produced were seriously interesting, complex and full bodied with an intense colouring. After a day of wine tasting, we headed west to the Raimat winery in Costers del Segre. I was taken aback by the scale and scope of Raimat’s vineyards. Another thing that struck me after meeting winemaker Olivia Salas, was the vineyard’s innovative approach to viticulture and winemaking, which was noticeable from the full range of wines we sampled.

"After two days in the Catalonian region, we were taken to the more widely known winemaking region, Rioja, and driven to the Bodegas Bilbainas winery in Haro,  in the Rioja Alta region.  The visit certainly altered my impression of Rioja’s offering as quite traditional, full-bodied wines and introduced me to a bold new Rioja that challenges the traditional rules of production and ageing. Viña Zaco was sweeter and more concentrated on the palate with dominant notes of black fruits, violets and liquorice but I could also detect a faint spicy undertone. After sampling some great wines, the last day of our tour consisted of a visit to the ultra-modern Legaris in Ribera del Duero. Everything in the winery has been purpose built with efficiency in mind, and the various winemaking departments can be effortlessly viewed from a central corridor, making this the ideal winery for visitors.

"Winning the Codorníu Scholarship was an ideal way to revise what I had learnt during my WSET Level 3 Advanced Certificate. It has increased my knowledge of Spanish wine, which will help me in my work at Majestic and build on our expertise as the UK’s biggest wine retailer."

Karim Ghazanfar