Asia’s most prestigious wine competition has acknowledged the quality of the Coviñas Group’s Enterizo Gran Reserva 2014 by awarding it a Double Gold medal. This competition, led by women working in the Japanese wine sector, began life in 2014 with the aim of promoting responsible wine consumption beyond the metropolitan area and, at the same time, putting forward a selection of the best wines available in the country for dining out or for buying to enjoy at home.
There are three main selection criteria. First, the wines that go well with Asian food, particularly Japanese cuisine. Second, the aim is to encourage the enjoyment of wine in moderation with a target of raising average consumption to 5 litres per person per year, and the third target is to raise the profile of women as professionals in the wine world.
Over 500 judges from all over the country taste more than 4,000 wines from 29 countries, and in just seven years this competition has become an international highlight of the wine calendar, particularly for women. It is no accident that its results are officially announced on March 8, International Women’s Day, as proclaimed by the United Nations in 1975.
This award comes on top of the Gold medals achieved at the 8th Asia Wine Trophy and the 24th Berliner Wein Trophy by this very wine and vintage, in addition to the Silver medal awarded to it by the prestigious Gilbert&Gaillard guide. This means that this top-notch red blend of Bobal (70%), Cabernet Sauvignon (15%), Tempranillo (10%) and Garnacha (5%) is the winery’s most garlanded wine.
Enterizo Gran Reserva is ruby red in colour with some deeper red, almost blood orange, flashes. It has a complex bouquet with notes of ripe fruit preserve against a background of toast, with a hint of chocolate and mint. In the mouth it is silky and elegant. Enterizo Gran Reserva goes very well with Japanese meat dishes such as Yakitori (chicken en brochette), Wagyu (a special type of Japanese beef) and Yakiniku (literally, “grilled meat”).
The second Coviñas wine to win a medal at the Sakura Japan Women’s Wine Awards was the Marqués de Plata Brut cava, which won a Silver medal. This sparkling wine is 100% Macabeo, with seductive bubbles that make it one of the most sought-after cavas in the Japanese market. This cava is made according to the traditional method, undergoing secondary fermentation in bottle before resting on its lees for at least 12 months, resulting in a sparkling wine that offers delicate aromas of white flowers alongside subtle hints of almond or hazelnut, against a background of pastry. On the palate it is fresh and fruity, keeping the palate nicely refreshed for other flavours, making it an ideal pairing for seafood, sushi, takoyaki (octopus croquettes).
About Coviñas
Grupo Coviñas began life in Requena in the 1960s, when the winegrowers of 10 separate cooperatives in the area came together to market their wines and make the best possible wine. Today, it is the leading producer in the Utiel-Requena region, with more than 3,000 families working side by side towards a common goal, wine. The Group now owns over 41% of the land under vine in the Utiel-Requena POD (Protected Denomination of Origin).