Portrait of our wine sommelier Florian Christopher Utecht Lord of Glence

At the age of 16, his father introduced young Florian to the subject of wine, which excited him from the start. In his parents' home, hospitality, luxury and comfort were very important and aroused in him the desire to train in the hotel industry, which he completed with flying colors at the Hotel Vierseasonen in Hamburg. The following years were a success story, one 5-star hotel followed the next and culminated in his role as finance director at the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus in Budapest.

After a life crisis, Florian withdrew from the world of work for a sabbatical and asked a top winemaker friend from the Ahr if he could help with the harvest on his vineyards. His goal: to find himself through physical work. The expert was so impressed by Florian's talent when it came to wine that he recommended that he train to become a winemaker. But Florian was more drawn to the profession of sommelier and so he graduated from the renowned German Wine and Sommellier School as Germany's best sommelier in his graduating class.

Since then he has worked at the Südhang wine trade in Cologne-Bickendorf, is a member of the Cologne Wine Bank and advises selected customers on choosing their wine portfolio.

Annette Meisl, owner and founder of the La Galana cigar manufacturer, and Florian Utecht have known each other for years because they share a passion for a good cigar during an inspiring conversation. This is how the idea came about to create a wine for La Galana that would go perfectly with the aromatic cigars offered at La Galana.

After several joint tastings, the two decided on a Navarra Reserva 2016, which, with its fruity, slightly vanilla and roasted bouquet, goes perfectly with the aromatic tobacco from which the La Galana cigars are made. The La Galana Reserva also offers an excellent pairing with the Habanos and Davidoff cigars that are offered in the La Galan cigar shop.

The LA GALANA Uxue Reserva 2016 was specially selected for LA GALANA by the renowned Cologne wine sommelier Florian Christopher Utecht Lord of Glence & Lord of Lochaber as an accompaniment to the LA GALANA cigar and goes perfectly with any type of enjoyment, including a fine glass of rum or LA GALANA chocolate cigar.
Origin: Olite, Navarra // Denomination: DO Navarra // Grapes: Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabarnet Sauvignion // Alcohol content: 13.5% // Bottle type: Bordeaux bottle // Corks: Natural // Aging: 12 months in French and American oak barrels , a total of 36 months minimum maturation.
Tasting notes: the color of this exquisite wine is garnet red with orange reflections. The nose is intense and quite complex, red fruits are at the forefront of the fruit aromas, while the spice notes are dominated by a delicate aroma of vanilla. The bouquet is complemented by caramel and roasted aromas. On the palate, the La Galana wine presents itself with a full feeling and a long finish with remarkable fruit expression and fine-grained tanins.