The parador - a state owned
luxury inn* -in Argomaniz was the scene last month of the semi-finals of the
Sumiller 2000 trophy. The winners of the competition will compete in the final
in Madrid in July, along with winners from other wine regions in Spain. The
best noses in Euskadi and La Rioja spent four hours analysing the colour,
bouquet* and taste of 54 wines from the Rioja region. Sixty people competed,
including twelve women. Of the winners, two came from La R-ioJa, six from
Bizkaia and one from Gipuzkoa. Antonio Garcia, Euskadi Wine-tasting Association
president said that to be a good wine-taster, "A lot of practice, knowledge and
affinity" was necessary. Apart from choosing the best wine-tasters, the twenty
best wines from bodegas in La Rioja and Alava were also judged.* These will
also compete in Madrid. According to Garcia, Rioja wine has a good chance of
doing well, as it is one of the few areas where the original grape -
tempranillo - is still conserved. (E) |
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Since 1986 dead dolphins
have appeared with regularity along the French coast of the Bay of Biscay. In
1997, 900 bodies were found, but it is estimated that this represents only
10-20% of the total dead.
Anne Colette is head
of the French Sea Mammal Research Centre in La Rochelle. She says the dolphins'
bodies are found in a mutilated condition. This is because of the pelagic nets
used by fishermen in areas where the dolphins eat. Colette says that collective
suicide is not the reason, and the recent disaster with the petrol tanker Erika
is not to blame* either.
Esteban Olaizola,
Hondarribia Fishermen's Association president, says that the appearance of the
dead dolphins coincides with the start of the anchovy fishing season. He says
the French fishermen usually open the stomachs of the lacerated cetaceans to
make them fall to the bottom of the sea. But the bad weather has made this Job
impossible, and the French fishermen could not hide the
killing.
Greenpeace campaign director Richard
Aguilar says the dead dolphins are just the tip* of the iceberg. "The nets used
cause great destruction in Cantabrian fishing areas."
Spain prohibits the use of certain non-selective fishing techniques,
but in France they are accepted, certain types of net will be prohibited by the
European Union in 2002 -although France does not agree with the decision. While
we wait for firmer fishing regulations, the problem
continues.
The situation is so bad that
Olaizola suggests fishing should be prohibited south of the 46th parallel. A
drastic solution? (I) |
