HOW I MAKE GINGER

GINGER is the latest addition to the Lobban Wines Family and currently is only available in an excellent wine bar called GINGER in the heart of Barcelona in which I have a small share along with partners Jan, Jose Maria and Nebras. It is a very easy drinking classic sparkling wine at optimum maturity.

The winemaking for Ginger was easy as I bought the wine as matured bottled TIRAGE (see La Pamelita Winemaking for details of the traditional sparkling wine method ) from the estate Masia Gironella where I am currently based and I only had to play my part from REMUAGE onwards. But I shall outline the different initial winemaking protocols for anyone interested.

PINOT NOIR and CHARDONNAY are the two main grape varieties found in the Champagne region in France and in champagne itself. Ginger is not champagne even though it is made from the same varieties because it is made from grapes grown in Catalunya, not in Champagne. Neither is it Cava, the spanish name for most bottle fermented sparkling wine as Cava must be made predominantly from three indigenous spanish grape varieties, Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo. So yet again like her two sisters, La Pamelita and La Rosita, Ginger is classed as VINO ESPUMOSO DE CALIDAD or quality sparkling wine.

Pinot Noir is a red grape and Chardonnay is white but, as discussed in La Rosita winemaking, the flesh of both varieties is translucent. Since the aim here is to make base wines with no colour and no noticeable tannins it is important to press the grapes as gently as possible and this is traditionally achieved by pressing the bunches whole without extracting colour or tannins from the grape skin. The first juice running with very low pressure from the press is the palest and purest ; as more pressure is applied more skin components appear in the juice and it is normal to keep these different "cuts" separate for fermentation in different tanks.

Once the juices have been obtained the winemaking practises are as detailed for La Rosita ; cold settling the juices with pectolytic enzymes and fermenting them at controlled low temperatures. The wines normally are held in tanks until spring time before tirage bottling.

Finally we come to my contribution to the wine namely disgorging; I add a touch of sugar and sulphur dioxide only as the wine is very well structured and balanced. The sugar is well integrated and adds to the wine's drinkability.

Ginger's distinctive packaging including its customised placa are in tune with the eleganly designed wine and tapas Bar from which it takes it name. But Ginger is also what we affectionately call my niece Katy with her beautiful golden red hair so this wine is dedicated to her.