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We are now in nice Spring 2023, its time to tell you once again on the wines of my dear Spain, As said, this goes back from my beginnings ,and I still go for them everywhere, Therefore, will try the monumental task of telling you about my favorites anecdotes and news of Spanish wines and hope to continue this series as my others with your blessing and likes. Here it is ,again coming back at you my wines news of Spain VIIII !! Of course post No 10 for the non Romans, Hope you enjoy the post as I.

For yet another year, Castilla-La Mancha clearly led our country’s exports in 2022, with more than 50% of the volume and 25% of the total turnover. Catalonia repeats itself as the second seller in value, although the Valencian Community is the second that exports the most liters. Barcelona repeats as the first selling province in value with 565.6 million euros (+2.5%), followed by the 474.4 million of Ciudad Real (+5.9%). Both recorded their best data in the last four years. La Rioja loses weight as the third seller, with 313.7 million euros (-3.5%), according to data analyzed by the Spanish Wine Market Observatory. At the same time ,Spain increased the value of its wine exports (wine, must, aromatized and vinegar) by 3.5% in 2022 to reach its all-time high with 3,422.8 million euros. However, it reduced the volume exported by 11.9%, to 2,744 million liters, at an average price 17.4% higher, All goes up !!

A Spanish wine has achieved third place on the list of the ten best chardonnays in the world (Top 10 Best chardonnay du Monde 2023), according to Chardonnay du Monde. This international competition, organized by the Forum Oenologie association, has been held at the Château des Ravatys, located in Saint-Lager (France). The jury, made up of two hundred specialists, has awarded our country three gold and two silver medals after analyzing 537 wines from 32 nations. The three gold medal-winning wines come from the DO Somontano and one of them, Bestué Chardonnay 2022, is the one that has earned third place among the top ten. Gold: Bodega Enate, Somontano DO, Enate Chardonnay 234, 2022, Bodega Otto Bestué, Somontano DO, Bestué Chardonnay, 2022, Bodega Pirineos, Somontano DO, Pirineos Chardonnay Selected Vineyard, 2022, Silver: Bodegas Castillo de Monjardín, Navarra DO, Castillo Monjardín Chardonnay, 2022, Virgen de las Viñas, La Mancha DO, Tomillar Chardonnay, 2022, Webpage :https://www.chardonnay-du-monde.com/HomeCdM.en.html

In the great wine diversity of Spain, reflected in the 101 Denominacion de Origen Protegido or Protected Designations of Origin (DOPs), only a few have managed to be among the most appreciated and recognized by consumers. These wines amply demonstrate it, read on ,,,,,

The wine development of the Calatayud Denomination of Origin depends on your choice, and the future of its 3,500 hectares. excellent conditions for quality viticulture on its high slopes and terraces of the Jalón Valley and its tributaries, where old Garnacha vines are grown on stony, limestone, and slate soils, perfectly adapted to the extreme continental climate, Atteca Armas 2020 from Bodegas Ateca, belonging to the Gil Family group, A traditional elaboration, with malolactic fermentation and aging for 18 months in French oak barrels, achieves a stylized fruity expression, well combined with the wood, which provides elegant notes of roasted and spices covered by balsamic airs. The palate is meaty, balanced, with a long finish of strawberry fruitiness. Webpage: https://store.gilfamily.es/products/do/do-calatayud

Manchuela is one of the least known wine-growing areas despite the fact that its production accounts for 5.1% of the total wine in Spain. Fortunately, lately there has been notable progress in the supply of quality wines thanks to the work of pioneers from abroad, such as the journalist Víctor de la Serna. People who have been reading the potential of the Denomination of Origin and its 12,478 hectares. of vineyard. Despite this, almost 90% of its production, some 2.5 million hectoliters, is still destined for export, which makes its national presence difficult. Finca Sandoval Signo 2016 is a selection of plots of old bobal, with 15 months of aging in French oak barrels of 500 liters. A red with a ripe fruity aroma, where floral and undergrowth memories blend with wood and spicy roasted notes. Sweet, corpulent, with good acidity and a long aftertaste. Víctor de la Serna, a journalist and food and wine critic, has had the audacity to risk his credibility making wine in Manchuela, where there were no quality benchmarks, which makes things easier. webpage:https://wineroutesofspain.com/en/rv-la-manchuela-en/

This Toledo Designation of Origin, located in the Alberche river valley, at the foot of the southern slope of the Sierra de Gredos, with some 9,000 hectares of vineyards, needs to face the challenge of reorienting its majority bulk production, but Méntrida has some powerful arguments to achieve this: the fact that there are plantations in the northern zone that can reach 850 meters in height, where the continental-Mediterranean climate moderates; the variety of soils: sandy-clayey, calcareous and granitic; and excellent old Garnacha vines, the majority variety, La Suerte de Arrayán 2018 with owner María Marsans and the winemaker Maite Sánchez have relaunched the Bodega Arrayán winery, essential for the commercial expansion of the Méntrida Designation of Origin. And they do it with wines like this one, made from old Garnacha vines from El Real de San Vicente , province of Toledo. The wine is aged for 12 years in 4,300-litre vats and 300 and 500-litre French oak barrels, with a long rest in the bottle. Suggestive aroma, with intense notes of red fruit, flower perfumes, balsamic memories and spices. On the palate it is sweet, well structured, with a long finish that leaves an elegant aftertaste of ripe fruit. Webpage: http://en.www.turismocastillalamancha.es/de-vinos/bodegas-arrayan-859/descripcion/

Ribera del Júcar, province of Cuenca, La Mancha Denomination of Origin, with just over 9,000 hectares of vineyards, with a continental climate, is located in the valley of the Júcar river where the Mediterranean pine begins the green spot, the nights are cool, the wind comes loaded with moisture collected from the river basin, and the pebble prevents evaporation and bounces light off the grapes. Quality, started by Casa Gualda, is already bearing fruit, although they still have a long and difficult road to go before they can sell all their production in bottles, which will depend to a large extent on efforts in promotion and marketing. Because the goodness of its wines is already an indisputable fact, particularly those made with old vines of Cencibel (up north call Tempranillo) and Bobal. Casa de Illana Bobal 2019 is a single-plot wine from the family winery run by Javier Illana, fourth generation of viticulturists, and his wife, oenologist Carolina Hernández. The winery, located in Finca Buenavista, at an altitude of 740 meters, has 100 hectares of excellent vineyards, some of which are more than half a century old. From them is born this red made by the winemaker with bobal, and aged for 18 months in French barrels, which offers an intense fruity aroma (blackberry, cherry, cassis) of surprising expressiveness, enriched by notes of roasted, and spices. Very tasty, enveloping, balanced, long-distance palate.webpage: http://www.turismocastillalamancha.es/de-vinos/do-vinos-de-ribera-del-jucar-1570/

At Uclés, province of Cuenca is one of the smallest and youngest with a Denomination of Origin in Spain, born in 2002 under the determined impulse of its current president of the Regulatory Council, the businessman Jesús Cantarero, together with a small group of winegrowers and winemakers, eager to emancipate themselves from the Denomination of Origin La Mancha. It has 1,700 hectares of vineyards, the majority concentrated in Tarancón, and only six wineries. the highest altitude in the areas of La Mancha, with 1,200 meters in the Sierra de Altamira area, which generates great variability in its continental climate with Mediterranean influence, and a diversity of soils with a sandy and sandy loam texture, with the presence of abundant clays , to which add the abundance of old vines of Cencibel (up north call tempranillo) , The Quercus 2018 ,the Cantarero family is an institution in the Manchego wine world, where it exerts a notable influence thanks to the example of its quality wines. Like Quercus, a wine made from selected plots of Viña Ocaña, cultivated at an altitude of 800 meters between hundred-year-old holm oaks and olive trees, and aged for 20 months in 300-litre French oak barrels. A highly expressive red, based on the complex and intense ripe wild fruitiness adorned by notes of spices, with chromatic touches of roasted and spices. Very tasty, well structured, with a notable presence on the palate. webpage: http://en.www.turismocastillalamancha.es/de-vinos/do-vino-de-ucles-1770/

The Manzanilla is a generous wine protected under its own Denomination of Origin that receives the name of “Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda”, a coastal town in whose wineries it is made. The proximity of the Sanlúcar wineries to the Atlantic and the mouth of the Guadalquivir river gives Manzanilla exceptional characteristics, thanks to its own microclimatic singularities in which the wine ages. The Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Designation of Origin is incorporated as one of its types in 1935, becoming a differentiated Denomination of Origin in 1964, which recognizes its genuine identity and exclusive link with Sanlúcar de Barrameda. And it is that Manzanilla can only be made in the wineries of this town. Manzanilla is a dry white wine, which is made from the Palomino grape variety , which in Sanlúcar de Barrameda is called Listán, and has been aged for biologically under a veil of flor in barrels, where it ages with the traditional Class System, homologous to the Criaderas and Soleras System used in the production of Sherry Wines. Let us remember that in biological aging the wine is protected from contact with the air by these yeasts, which form a layer on the surface of the liquid and isolate it. In this way, it plays a very important role in the breeding of Manzanilla, since it protects it from oxidation. The Manzanilla is a very pale and bright straw yellow wine. Its aroma is characterized by that sharp sensation, where floral and almond notes stand out. Its flavor is dry and fresh, with a slight acidity and bitter aftertaste. Manzanilla Interpretation Center (CIMA), an initiative of the Manzanilla Foundation, which houses a charming exhibition hall where its history, wine, and heritage are discussed. A starting point to understand the production and breeding of Manzanilla; A first contact, from which to arouse interest in visiting the different wineries throughout the city. Webpage https://cimasanlucar.es/visita-cima/

The Manzanilla DO: https://manzanilla.org/en/the-d-o/

There are more than 30 Wine Routes in Spain, and they met last week in Gran Canaria. The 30th General Assembly of the Spanish Association of Wine Cities (ACEVIN) chose the island as its headquarters, and the unanimous assessment was positive. The fact that it is an original route with its own character has been another attraction when it comes to showing the potential of Gran Canaria within the state wine tourism framework. ACEVIN was born in 1994, so it is close to 30 years of activity. Its work in drafting the Wine Routes of Spain Product Manual, a reference in terms of tourism quality at the state level, stands out. In addition, it draws on original ideas to increase its presence and encourage activity such as the ‘Rutas del Vino de España’ Wine Tourism Awards, which reward the best projects and establishments in the country every two years, La Ruta del Vino de Gran Canaria with the DO Gran Canaria visiting Bodegas Mondalón, Viñedos and Bodega Rincón del Guiniguada, Finca Escudero, Bodega San Juan , Finca El Mocanal, Bodegas Bentayga and Bodega Los Lirios. Also the opportunity to visit other attractions of the natural and cultural heritage of the island such as the historic center of Vegueta, the natural monument of Bandama, the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria, with Roque Bentayga and Roque Nublo as witnesses, the historic center of Gáldar, the Cueva Pintada Museum and Archaeological Park in Gáldar and the Puerto de lasNieves in Agaete. Webpage :https://rutadelvinodegrancanaria.net/

The Campo de Cariñena Wine Route offers a wide variety of activities around wine, culture, nature and gastronomy. Its 90 years of history, culture and its unique way of making wine thanks to the stony soil of its vineyards make the Denomination of Origin of Cariñena, one of the first denominations in all of Spain, is a benchmark in the world of wine and wine tourism. Currently, the towns of Fuendetodos and Vistabella de Huerva have been incorporated into the D.O. Cariñena and the white Cariñena grape variety has been included in the list of admitted grape varieties. The Campo de Cariñena Wine Route, also known as the Piedras Wine Route, has 40 establishments where wine tourism, culture and gastronomy of the thirteen towns belonging to it are promoted. These are Aguarón, Aladrén, Alfamén, Almonacid de la Sierra, Cariñena, Cosuenda, Encinacorba, Longares, Mezalocha, Muel, Paniza, Tosos and Villanueva de Huerva. The Sierra de Algairén and the Valle del Huerva area are the great unknown areas of the territory. Disconnect from your day to day by visiting one of the 32 wineries that make up the D.O. Cariñena With the aim of continuing the tradition of pottery, the town of Muel has a Ceramics School Workshop in which courses and exhibitions are offered to children and adults. If there is an important figure in Fuendetodos, one of the last towns that have been incorporated into the D.O. Cariñena is, without a doubt, Francisco de Goya. The Campo de Cariñena Wine Route also offers a taste of culture. The Fuendetodos Goya Foundation schedules visits to the house where the painter was born and lived. In addition, there you can also visit the Engraving Museum of Fuendetodos, webpage :https://www.rutadelvinocampodecarinena.com/la-ruta-del-vino-campo-de-carinena/

The Pedro Ximénez San Emilio, Bodega Emilio Lustau, DO Jerez with Pedro Ximénez grape100% , After the harvest, the grapes are “sunlit” in the vineyard so that they dry out and concentrate their natural sugar. Aged for 12 years in Jerez de la Frontera. Very dark mahogany color with iodized trim. Floral and citrus aromas, with a taste of raisins and spices. Full and very long on the palate. Extremely sweet, with a pleasant acidity. Dessert wine in itself, it can accompany puff pastries, pastas and desserts made from fruit or yogurt. Serve at 10 – 12ºC, My favorite love it. Webpage: https://lustau.es/en/coleccion/sherry-wines,solera-familiar-en/pedro-ximenez-san-emilio/

Malleolus de Valderramiro 2019 , Bodegas Emilio Moro, DO Ribera del Duero ,Tempranillo grape 100% , This wine receives the name of the Pago de Valderramiro, a plot of vineyards planted in 1924. The purpose and objective of making this reference is to give maximum prominence to the “terroir” and maintain the highest quality based on the tradition of three generations. In Malleolus de Valderramiro we see a photo of Emilio Moro during dry pruning. Very covered garnet red color, on the nose it is intense with great aromatic density and from the first moment the great sensory potential of the wine is noticeable. 2019 has given the Valderramiro grapes a differentiating character, balancing the brand’s natural tendency towards maturity and highlighting its fruity vocation. In the mouth it is powerful with great body and balance. Despite its structure, the mid palate is friendly and very pleasant, with a long and very persistent aftertaste., Excellent with red meat, roasts, game meat, etc. Serve between 14 and 16ºC, Excellent bottle indeed. webpage: https://www.emiliomoro.com/familia-malleolus/#

There you go folks, another wonderful post on my dear Spanish wines, Hoping for a long lasting memories of my dear Spain and its wine news, An area already shining for several years, and getting better me think, Hope you enjoy the new series of wines news of Spain VIIII as I

And remember, happy travels, good health,and many cheers to all !!!