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Mediterranean sunsets with wine

One of the best ways to relive the last days of summer and ease your way back into the routine is through the wines from the place where you have been. Do you remember watching the sun set with a glass of wine in your hand , feeling the sand in your toes, looking tanned and feeling relaxed with a glass of the local wine in your hand?  To watch Mediterranean sunsets with wine, here are 5 suggestions to enjoy while reminiscing watching the sun go down over.

If you have been to the Balearic Islands this summer maybe you had a bottle of the deep ruby coloured ÀN/2 from Anima Negra in Mallorca.   This is a red made from old vine Callet, Mantonegre-Fogoneu, both local grapes, and Syrah. It has complex aromas of  savoury spices, dark cherry fruit and a hint of violets and smokiness. On the palate the wine is silky and elegant with intense flavours of mature fruit. Well-balanced with a long finish.  Serve it slightly chilled as we are still in the last days of summer.

Visiting Greece is another popular destination. Watching the sunset on the island of Santorini with a white wine made on the island from the local Assyrtiko grape variety, which is fresh, fruity and easy drinking.  It is not that easy to find modern Greek wines outside of Greece as they only export 20% of their wines but if you have been in Santorini for your holidays I hope you enjoyed the local wine while the sun was going down.

The south of France is another popular destination, particularly the Rhone Valley.   This is one of my favourite wine regions, particularly Crozes Hermitage in the northern part of the region.  The hot summer days are cooled by the northern winds that blow down the valley. Syrah is the main grape in the wines from Crozes-Hermitage, which are renowned for the freshness of its fruit and aromas of flowers. Sipping a close of Crozes, one of my favourites is from Gille Robin, a small organic producer, while watching the sun go down over the valley is magical.

Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, is another popular summer destination.  From the beaches in the south of the island you can see the outline of the Tunisia and the continent of Africa.  As the sun goes the ideal wine to drink is a chilled glass of white wine made from the local grape variety Grillo, crisp, with a hint of citrus flavours.

Closer to Valencia, watching the sun gown down in Javea or Moraira while sipping a glass of Cava from Requena is an ideal way of preparing for the evening ahead.

Which wines did you enjoy while watching a Mediterranean sunset?

Written by

I am a Northern Irishman based in Valencia. My career in wine began more than three decades ago, in London. I am the founder of TheWinePlace.es, an online store, where wine enthusiasts can enjoy a selection of international wines and Verde Marte, a company dedicated to exporting Spanish wines. Also, Thewineplace.courses, an "approved program provider" of the courses of the prestigious WSET. I share my passion for wines through my media work writing weekly columns for the Spanish newspaper El Mundo and 5 Barricas, an online wine magazine.

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