pamela geddes by ciriaco

Pamela geddes
La pamelita es una de esas sorpresas sorprendentes, un Calatayud diferente llamado el gordito, y un espumoso de monastrel diferentísimo, un vino para que no te deje indiferente. Se nota todo el entusiasmo que esta mujer , increíble y diferente, le pone a lo que hace . Realmente me impresionó por que es encantadora y elegante y por su trabajo muy bien hecho¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡

os incluyo algunas cosas primero su presentación

Pamela Geddes,
Creator/ winemaker of La Pamelita and co, manager director of Lobban Wines S. L. and all other positions within this one person company.
I used to be sparkling winemaker for the largest sparkling producer in the southern hemisphere ss(http://www.lapamelita.com/www.southcorp.com; now I am one of the smallest sparkling producers in the northen hemisphere. I do know of a smaller one in the southern hemisphere, Hacienda El Condor near Curico in Chile where I make the Millaman Sparkling Rojo. ( http://www.lapamelita.com/www.millaman.cl)
So how did an Aberdeen-born, Bridge of Allan-bred and University of Strathclyde-educated lass start making sparkling red wine ? Most people seem to find it impossible to equate the two words scottish and winemaker; start talking red bubbles and they find it even more impossible. But to me my career has taken a fairly straight course as I travelled the world a good few times pursuing a dream. Let me briefly recount my life so far.
I am one of four children and I have to say that I am very lucky to have such a supportive family ; they are always there to taste new wines and offer praise or constructive criticism. My parents never once blinked an eyelid when my dream of working in wine started to take shape even though they knew it would mean leaving Scotland. They even offered me adresses of wineries they had visited in California to get me started.
I studied Microbiology at Strathcyde University and after completing a 2 year medical research project, I started work at Pentlands Scotch Whisky Research Ltd in Edinburgh - analysing samples of fermenting wort was much more pleasant than the samples of pus I had had to deal with at The Western General in Edinburgh. I had cut my wine drinking teeth like anyone else of my generation on wines such as Lutomer Riesling, Hirondelle and even rising to Piat d'Or for that special ocaision - all white of course. At the age of 18 as I was refusing a special glass of Bordeaux in the home of family friends, the host bet me that I would be a red wine fanatic by the time I was 21 and if not he would give me a fur coat - suffice to say I never did get that coat although my love affair with reds came slightly later.
As I worked in the whisky industry I learned the science of yeast and bacterial fermentations, the arts of blending and sensory evaluation and I obtained a Masters degree from Heriot Watt University by research which I carried out on the effect of lactic acid bacteria on the flavour of Scotch Malt Whisky. I was also exposed to quality wines at various social gatherings and slowly I began to see that I could apply the forementioned skills to work in wine.
A visit to Barcelona in the mid eighties set me thinking that this would be a perfect place to live - there were vineyards almost at the edge of the city and plenty of wine and Cava on tap. HoweverI decided firstly to learn about wine in my own language and then to tackle Spanish. So off I went to Australia to work as Microbiologist with Penfolds Wines in the Barossa Valley where I tasted evrything that came my way and asked as many questions to the winemakers that I could. Within weeks of arriving I enrolled in a short wine tasting course in Adelaide and was shocked one week when the teacher announced that the following week we would be tasting "red champagne" - would these Ozzies stop at nothing I asked myself - not only using the term champagne for wine produced outside of that region in France but also for having the audacity to make fizz from red wine - I thought of the cheap Lambrusco that I had oft declined at home.
But to my amazement, that first sparkling red, Seppelts Sparkling Shiraz, took me to a new level in taste sensations - one sniff, one sip, one spit and I was hooked. Here started my love affair with this style, full bodied spicy red wine made in the champagne method. I tried many, many more wines with and without gas from the tops to the bottoms in my first australian sojourn but I will never forget that memorable tasting class. I worked at Penfolds for 2 years and decided it was time to try out Barcelona. I found temporary work with the great Torres company , as vintage microbiologist and again set myself the task of tasting all wines that Spain could offer. But despite asking all and sundry in very bad spanish, I couldnt find any red fizz. Neither could I find permanent work so when I was offered a temporary position as Sparkling Winemaker for Seppelts I packed my bag and headed down under once more.
Yes, there I was, working in the cellars that have produced Sparkling reds for over 100 years.I stayed three and a half years in this "temporary" position whch actually did become permanent after 18 months. Seppelts was part of the giant Southcorp group of wineries and and we were consolidating sparkling production at Great Western. Every day semed to be bring new challenges and I made every type of sparkling wine possible, bubbles galore. I was very privileged to be able to taste some of the great old sparkling shirazes from the forties onwards and my love and respect for this wine style grew stronger and stronger.
However much I loved the wines there, I felt it was time to be nearer to home and in July 1996 off I set for new horizons and the life of a flying / contract winemaker. I based myself in Barcelona as by this time I was a partner in a restaurant El Salon (http://www.lapamelita.com/www.elsalon.net) with Jan Gormally, excellent chef and great friend, and for the following 7 years I worked vintage in Spain from September to November and then vintage in Chile from February to May. The rest of the time was mine and this is when I created La Pamelita.
My first contract was at Bodegas Castaño in Yecla, Murcia working for Australian winemaker David Morrison's company Winemakers and there I discovered the delights offered by the grape variety Monastrell. As I was working a tank of ripe red monastrell one day , I decided that this was undoubtedly sparkling red material and somehow managed to convince Ramon Castaño to let me make some red fizz. The first stage of tiraging is relatively easy in terms of equipment and no investment was neccessary but when it came to disgorging we had to buy traditional equipment in order to disgorge the wine. The first La Pamelita finally hit the UK in October 1999 through Moreno Wine Importers and reached Australia in September 2000 thanks to Ultimo Wine Cellars. But La Pamelita was my jam - I still had to have bread and butter and I made all sorts of wines for various markets. My Chilean contract is still ongoing as I am Projects Winemaker for Viña Millaman in Chile where, not surprisingly, I make a sparkling red from old vine Malbec and some much younger shiraz and monastrell.
To conclude this career history I am finally devoting time to get La Pamelita and Lobban Wines up and running; I have rented winery space near Girona and I am working in every part of the company - my skills now include purchasing, accounting, sales, marketing and cleaning up after myself. All going well, I hope to have my own little sparkling facility within the next few years and maybe even a patch of vines somewhere in the beautiful countryside It seems an uphill struggle at times trying to turn people on to the joys of sparkling red but I'm trying my best.

y tambien os adjunto una nota muy interesante de la rosita en una compañía inmejorable

Rosés are red....by Natasha Hughes, 02/07 As far as I'm aware, the original St Valentine, the Roman martyr, never touched a drop of Champagne in his life*, but for some strange reason, fizz and the 14th of February have, nevertheless, become inextricably linked. There's something about the aura of celebration created by the pop of a Champagne cork, allied to the giggliness inspired by the rush of bubbles through the bloodstream, that makes us all want to reach for a bottle to celebrate the festival of romance. But what kind of fizz will you and the one you love be drinking on the 14th? To my mind, it rather depends on what you think you might want to eat that evening. I've never for a second believed that music is the food of love - I rather reckon that food is the food of love, but some kinds of food are better for love than others. Big hunks of meat are right out of the question - if you and your beloved wolf down a pound of steak each, the chances are that you'll want to curl up and sleep afterwards rather than getting down to some serious romance. Keep it light, instead. The jury's out as to whether or not oysters are actually aphrodisiac, but they're definitely easy on the digestive system and are deservedly popular fare on Valentine's Day. If you are dining on oysters this year, the Champagne of choice must be a Blanc de Blancs. The delicate flavours, light body and zesty acidity of this style makes it the perfect partner for oysters.
Recommended Blanc de BlancsChampagne Moutard Brut Reserve NV
Moutard's Brut Reserve is 100% Chardonnay, aged more than three years in Moutard's caves. Our bottle, disgorged on 24th April 2006 pours a pale lemon/green colour, with very fine bubbles. On the nose it is delicately fruity and has an easy appeal, with a light peachiness. On the palate there is a lovely ripeness and limpid weight of pear and peach fruit, with a soft, pillowy mousse and a sense of fruit purity and roundness. There is a bit of creamy depth that develops through the mid-palate, and whilst the lemony, fresh acidity does a fine job of tightening and lengthening the finish, this remains deliciously soft and

drinkable. A lovely, very easy to drink Champagne with the finesse and structure for oysters, or as a delightful aperitif. Around £17.99, See all stockists on wine-searcher.com If you're really pushing the romantic boat out and plan on tucking into caviar and blinis, a Blanc de Blancs is, once again, a great match as it won't dominate the subtle, salty flavours of the fish eggs. Rosé Champagne has become increasingly popular in recent years, and because it's flirty and fun, it's a great Valentine's Day drink. Richer, fuller and fruitier than many styles of Champagne, rosé is an ideal accompaniment to many Asian dishes. If you're looking for a bit of spice this Valentine's Day, while I'd probably draw the line at teaming it with a full-on Vindaloo, I'd be perfectly happy to match rosé fizz to most types of Chinese, Vietnamese or Thai stir-fries (as long as there isn't too much chilli, as this will kill any wine stone dead). Rosé can even work with milder Indian curries - as can richer styles of vintage and NV Champagne. If you're looking for the perfect rosé this year, try Billecart-Salmon - the NV is delicious, but if you can track down a bottle of the Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon it's well worth the extra splurge. Other great rosés are Moët NV rosé and the Ruinart version.
Recommended RoséPamela Geddes (Spain) La Rosita 2003
OK, not a Champage, but a delightful sparkling rosé from one of the most interesting winemakers around, Scot Pamela Geddes. Pamela gave up a career in the Scotch Whisky industry to make wine, first in Australia, then South America, and finally at her own winery near Barcelona in Catalunya. This is Pamela's sparkling Monastrell rosé a 12.5% beauty with a pale pomegranate colour, delightfully small, persistent bubbles and a nose crammed with fresh, summery berries, a touch of briar and a delicious creaminess. On the palate it is off-dry, with super ripe berry fruit, and a character of cream and strawberry pulp. The acidity is beautifully judged, with the mousse soft yet persistent, in a really lovely wine. £9.99, Cornelius, Hendersons, Peckhams, Luvians, WineRaks.co.uk.

If the idea of matching Champagne to curry brought you up short a couple of sentences ago, I'm not surprised. That, too, would have been my reaction until last year, when I got to taste the latest releases of Krug with a selection of curries. A pairing of Malabar lobster - all coconut sauce and delicate spicing - with the Grande Cuvée stands out in my memory as one of the best matches of the year. But rich, weighty Champagnes, such as Krug's Grande Cuvée, Bollinger's Grande Année and Mumm's Grande Cuvée are natural matches for richer styles of seafood, whether spiced or not. A relatively plain dish of lobster (or even langoustines) grilled and then smothered in butter, partnered with a green salad and one of the above wines would be my idea of Valentine's Day heaven. I might even be tempted to partner such a wine - especially one with a bit of cellar age - with foie gras terrine on toasted brioche. Not only do the flavours of wine and dish complement each other, I honestly think that a rich, dry wine with good acidity (such as Champagne) is a far better match for foie gras than Sauternes or other sweet wines, as I find the traditional pairing somewhat cloying and sickly.
Recommended Rich, Luxury ChampagneBollinger (France) La Grande Année 1999
La Grande Année is Bollinger's prestige cuvée, produced only in exceptional years. This may seem criminally young to open a fine wine that is built for extended cellaring (for those who like the aged Champagne style), but I found this wine to be seductive and wonderfully nuanced even at this young age. Fruit comes from only 17 Premiers and Grands Crus from amongst Champagne's 316 villages, and the 1999 harvest is said by Bollinger to be "similar to 1970 and 1983," promising very high quality. Barrel-fermentation is followed by six years ageing before release, resulting in a wine that has a rich but pale golden colour, pin-prick bubbles and toasty, complex aromas of

brioche and yeastiness, but also a vegetal richness and core of bruised apple fruit. On the palate the mousse is very fine but persistent, and this has an immediate tension between very taut, nervous minerality and a huge sweetness of fruit, with already a nutty, rich maturity from the long ageing, with some toast and caramel, and a very long, supple, elegant finish. A terrific wine. Around £50, See all stockists on wine-searcher.com The truth, though, is that Valentine's Day isn't one of those occasions when you should put too much stress on finding exactly the right wine for whatever you're planning on eating. Just enjoy whatever you're drinking - and the moment - and leave the fine-tuning for another night. * Before anyone writes in to point out my weak grasp of history, I should own up that I was, of course, being facetious. The third-century Roman priest died long before sparkling wines became popular.