Santa Monica wine bar Pourtal welcomed a group of Spanish winemakers Sunday evening. These producers were mostly very small wineries, many of them actually from the Canary Islands. Kudos must go to Pourtal for bringing this wealth of winemaking talent to Santa Monica. These winemakers are all so enthusiastic about their wines and are eager to talk about them.
Some of the winemakers are fluent in English, some are not. I am not fluent in Spanish, so communication might have been a problem had those with good English skills not stepped in and helped those who lacked them. Most of the time it was a combination of their English and my Spanish that made the communication barrier almost nonexistent.
In case you don’t know, the Canaries are not off the coast of Spain, but off Morocco, in Northern Africa. The archipelago lies well south of Casablanca’s latitude and is an autonomous community of Spain. The name derives not from huge flocks of small pet birds, but, according to Wikipedia, "Islas Canarias is likely derived from the Latin term Insula Canaria, meaning "Island of the Dogs." This was probably because of the large population of seals once found there. They aren’t found there anymore, though. No canaries, no seals - it’s getting to be a bit of a disappointment. I’d better get back to the wine. There’s certainly no disappointment there.
Not all of the winemakers at this event are from the Canaries. Four of the producers are from Galicia, there’s one from Rioja, one from Tierra de Leon and one from Alicante. The wineries are represented by importer Jose Pastor . Pastor has a knack for bringing to the U.S. some truly magnificent wines from areas like the Canaries and Galicia. The wineries he represents are mostly small outfits which keep an eye on tradition while blazing new trails. Things I heard often from these winemakers: very natural, no sulfur, unfiltered, local grapes. They are reaching out to the American wine drinker by making wine the way they always have. It's about time more people discovered that these folks don't need a re-invention. They seem to be doing everything right.
Following are my notes on the wines I tasted at Pourtal. As I am not extremely versatile in Spanish wines, it was a bit of a labor for me to get the information correct. If I have committed any errors, please feel free to correct me in the comments.











12 German Prada Galgueira Mencia 2009 - ($17) - This winemaker was absent from the event, but Miguel was kind enough to give me a taste. It's a dark and moody red from Valdeorras, Galicia.