A Blended White Catalan Wine

This Catalonia wine carries a Spanish appellation...

Macabeo Grapes

This is one of our first Spanish wines, and if memory serves me correctly, our first Catalan wine. Catalonia is a region of northeastern Spain known for fine wine and lots more. But you say, René Barbier sounds French. It’s true; Monsieur Barbier left France for Spain in 1880. His winery specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. It now belongs to Freixenet, a very high volume Spanish company, that does a lot of sparkling wine such as the well-known Codorníu. This particular wine is made from three native white grape varieties, Xarel-lo, Macabeo, and Parellada. It carries the Penedes DO appellation.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
René Barbier Classic White 2008 Penedes DO 2008 11.0% alcohol about $9.50

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note : Pale straw yellow with a green tinge; floral with citrus aroma; light body, crisp acidity, medium length finish, good quality wine. Serving Suggestion : Serve with seafood or pasta dishes. And now for my review.

At the first sips the wine was quite light tasting of unripe apples. Its acidity was somewhat harsh. The initial pairing was with a cheeseless lasagna based on a moderately spicy salsa. Now the wine’s acidity was more refreshing perhaps because it was dealing quite well with the dish’s light grease. It seemed that the apples were almost ripe. The accompaniment was pancakes made from spinach, potatoes, oat bran, and garlic. Now the apples were biting but ripe with good, crisp acidity.

The next meal started with a roasted vegetable soufflé. The wine presented sharp but pleasant acidity with green apples and lime. With a barbecued chicken breast this wine was not very acidic and somewhat sweet. Dessert was fruit juice candy that muted the wine.

My final meal was composed of an omelet peppered with ground chilies. The wine was fruity and long; I couldn’t help but think about a terrace somewhere in Catalonia. The accompanying avocado perked up the wine’s acidity. The humus (ground chickpeas plus) muted the wine.

I ended the tastings with two local cheeses. When paired with a yellow cheddar this wine was appley and mouth cleansing. With tastier Swiss cheese the Barbier showed bright acidity. A fresh (admittedly off season) strawberry almost overpowered the wine.

Final verdict. I know I won’t buy this wine again, even if some of the pairings went fairly well. The proof is that about a quarter of a bottle remains and will probably end up down the drain. On the upside at 11% it’s a low-alcohol wine, a species that’s getting harder to find unless you are into coolers, which will never be reviewed in this column.

Access the companion wine Moderate Priced Wines - A Tasmania, Australia Riesling

About the Author

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine websites include
www.theworldwidewine.com    and    http://www.wineinyourdiet.com

Visit his website devoted to Italian travel www.travelitalytravel.com

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