Andorra

Cim de Cel Gewurztraminer

One of only two white wines in my collection!

Cim de Cel Gewürztraminer is produced by the sole winery of Andorra (I believe): Casa Beal, at Nagol, Sant Julià de Lòria. Principat d’Andorra. Andorra is a small principality nestled in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain. Located south of Toulouse and north of Barcelona, Andorra is a parliamentary co-principality with the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell (Catalonia), Spain, as co-princes, in a duumvirate.

At the time of writing, three vintages had been produced, 2006, 2007 and 2008 (not yet bottled), all gewürztraminer – the only grape variety cultivated at the vineyard. I have had the pleasure of tasting all three vintages. The 2007 is a luscious gewürztraminer – the variety at its best, and a tribute to the skills of the winemaker.

The terraced vineyard is located at 1100 metres above sea level in a glorious location overlooking the small Andorran town of Sant Julià de Lòria below. The climate is cold in winter (I have a marvelous photograph of the snow-covered vineyard in winter), and mild to warm in summer. Production is limited; the 2007 production totaled 1475 50cl bottles. About 2000 bottles are expected for the 2008 vintage.

Winemaker/owner Mr. Joan Visa is a charming man who takes enormous pride in his wines. A native Andorran, Joan Visa is also a perfectionist. Everything about his winery projects pursuit of perfection, from the vineyard, to the chemistry, to the presentation, to the liquid product.

Casa Beal has an interesting website: www.casabeal.net

Robert would appreciate any information on wine production in countries and autonomous regions not listed. You may contact Robert here.