We are now closer to Summer 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 XIV. Of course post No 14 or the non Romans, Hope you enjoy the post as I.
With more than 4,000 wineries, Spain is a land of wines. Among them, some world-famous have emerged. Through wine, you will discover incredible places and routes that you cannot miss if you enjoy a good glass of wine. Some of their better regions me think are La Rioja, fresh, aromatic and balanced, the wines of this Qualified Designation of Origin are valued internationally. La Rioja is a land of wines, both in its cities such as Logroño, where you will enjoy its incredible gastronomy, and in rural areas such as Briones, where you can learn about wine among vineyards or in the Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture. The Ribera del Duero regioin. Tempranillo is the best-known wine from these lands, which is stored in characteristic underground cellars such as those in Aranda del Duero. In addition to trying its delicious, fruity, persistent and full-bodied wines, you can visit places trapped in time, such as the Peñafiel Castle or the Valbuena del Duero Monastery. And my sentimental favorite La Mancha. Dry, pale wines with pleasant aromas, which come from the largest vineyards in the world, with more than 400,000 hectares. But here you can enjoy much more, cities full of culture, such as Toledo and Sigüenza, and natural areas such as the Tablas de Daimiel National Park. Awesome !!!
Spain increased its wine export bill by 12.2% in the first quarter of 2023. During that time it exceeded 800 million euros despite selling 1% less in volume (611 million liters). Thirteen of the seventeen Spanish autonomous communities grew in value and eight did so in volume, according to the Spanish Observatory of Wine Markets. Castilla-La Mancha (29.2 million euros) and La Rioja (11.3 million), in value , and Extremadura (5.8 million liters) and Andalucía (3.3 million), in volume, were the ones that grew the most. The fifty Spanish provinces exported some type of wine product. Ciudad Real broke with the global drop in volume and consolidated its national leadership, surpassing Barcelona as the first supplier, also in terms of billing. Moving up indeed.
Seven Spanish restaurants among the twenty best in Europe, according to the OAD guide
Asador Etxebarri is once again the third best restaurant in Europe according to Opinionated About Dining. The relationship of this gastronomic guide is made through a survey carried out among customers. The weight given to each of these opinions is based on the number of stores visited and their category. Spain, which is by far the most represented country on this list, places seven restaurants in the top twenty. More on this list,,,Webpage :https://www.oadguides.com/lists/europe/top-restaurants/2023
Six gold medals for Spain in The Global Rosé Masters, according to the British magazine that organizes the competition, The Drinks Business, These are : Bodegas Gran Feudo Gran Feudo Garnacha Rosé Navarra 2022 Bodegas Alceño Alceño Rosado Jumilla 2022 Bodegas Arzuaga Arzuaga Rosae Ribera del Duero 2022 Finca Albret Albret Rocío Navarra 2022 J. Chivite Family Estates Chivite Las Fincas Rosado Navarra 2022, and Bodegas Juan Gil Juan Gil Rosé Eco Jumilla 2022 More on this list, webpage : https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2023/06/the-medal-winning-wines-from-the-global-rose-masters-2023/
The Great Wine Capitals Global Network (GWC), met last June 14 to 16, 2023 the twelve most important wine-growing areas in the world participate with the aim of planning actions to support the wine tourism sector. At this meeting, called the GWC Midterm Meeting, are present representatives from Adelaide in South Australia, Bilbao-Rioja in Spain, Bordeaux in France, Cape Town-Cape Winelands in South Africa, Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand, Lausanne in Switzerland, Mainz-Rheinhessen in Germany, Mendoza in Argentina, Porto in Portugal, San Francisco-Napa Valley in the United States, Valparaíso-Valle de Casablanca in Chile and Verona in Italy. The GWC Network was founded in 1999 and since then has been dedicated to promoting excellence and innovation in wine tourism business projects, contributing to the development socioeconomic status of the regions that offer the best wine tourism experiences in the world.
Let me take you into the Basque country and a gem often overpassed but worth the tasting indeed. In the last decade, txakoli has lived through times of change, if not of revolution, Tday, the vernacular varieties have embraced other foreign ones, winemakers are beginning to save in order to tame so much temperament and some show the market a white face friendlier, without such a sharp citrus accent, a creation (1989) of the Getariako Txacolina Denomination of Origin, which was followed just 30 years ago by the Biltxa, the association that brought together Biscayan winemakers based in 27 towns. The piece abounds in historical references and reflects how at the end of the 19C the area devoted to Cantabrian vineyards was still considerable: 1,232 hectares in Asturias, 880 in Cantabria and 2,874 in Vizcaya. In Guipúzcoa it had already fallen to 211 hectares , In two or three generations the vine disappeared in Asturias and Cantabria , and after the Spanish Civil War the decline was even faster in the Basque Country. In Vizcaya in 1960 there were barely 20 hectares of vineyards (16 in 1970 ) The evolution in Guipúzoca follows the same trend: 25 hectares in 1960 and 22 in 1980, Industrialization, migration to the city and the successive plagues that devastated the vineyards of hondarribi zuri (white grape) and its variety zerratia and hondarribi beltza (red) magnified the disaster. In 1993, the highly parceled vineyard area yielded a figure of only 50 hectares and 700,000 bottles per year. Contrast that figure with the data for the 2022 harvest: 426 hectares, 178 viticulturists and 1,700,000 liters. The soils are still clayey limestone strata mixed with sandstone. In addition, the DO Arabako Txacolina (Álava) joined the bandwagon. Do not think that the concern to improve the quality of txakoli is an invention of the youngest. Already in 1947 a technician from French Champagne was hired to advise the work that was done here and his presence helped a lot to improve the procedures used by our parents. Even a Getaria harvester came to move to those lands to learn on the ground. And it is in the 90s when the txakoli from the magical Guipuzcoan enclave of Getaria, Aia and Zarauz leaves the bars to broaden its horizons and its quality. The apostles of New Basque Cuisine , see, Irizar, Roteta, Arzak, even Argiñano himself ,rowed wherever they went through this small sea of txakoli, although the people from Biscay were slow to join, with a special tradition in the Ayala region. In 2021, the Regulatory Council approved the incorporation as authorized varieties without limitations , the red varieties Pinot Noir and Berdexarie (Cabernet Franc). The white grapes authorized with limitations are: mune mahatsa (folle blanche), izkiriota (gros manseng), izkiriota ttipia (petit manseng), sauvignon blanc, riesling and chardonnay. In 2015, txakoli 42 by Eneko Atxa won a blind tasting as the best white in the world at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. The Biscayan txakoli produced by the Gorka Izagirre winery won the prize in its category ahead of 9,150 wines from 46 countries. In addition, eleven wines were distinguished last year at the Decanter Awards, one of the most prestigious competitions in the world. Well, that, a farmhouse wine, a historic house wine as translated from the Basque txakoli, which has taken an unexpected global leap.
The young txakoli in the red version is obtained from the native Hondarrabi beltza grape, although from this year 2021 the use of pinot noir and rosé cabernet franc is also allowed, without limitations, which is made with a mixture of red grapes (at least the 50%) and white. Wines characterized by their aromas of wild fruits, hints of orchards and green peppers, and a fresh mouthfeel with a light structure, the new bereziak txakolis. They will go on the market with a labeling system that will differentiate between those raised on lees and those fermented in barrels, and we will find them in white, red and rosé. Some recom Rezabal. Blanco 2016 , Hondarrabi zuri, DO. Getariako Txakolina, Ander Rezabal. Aromas of ripe fruit (banana), green apple, herbaceous background, and some carbonic. Clean but simple palate, where those memories of apple reappear together with a marked citrus note that remains until the end. Classic Txakoli where acidity is the undisputed protagonist. Itsasmendi Nº7 White 2015, Hondarrabi zuri, riesling and hondarrabi zuri zerratie, DO. Bizkaiko Txakolina , Itsamendi Winery. Notes of ripe fruit, herbaceous touches, toasted memories, hydrocarbons and a mineral background. It has a more friendly and balanced mouthfeel, with fat, where notes of aromatic herbs appear. And, Astobiza. White 2016 , Hondarrabi zuri and hondarrabi zuri zerratie , Bodega Astobiza . Clean and perfumed nose, with aromas of fresh white fruit, herbaceous notes, and hints of honey and lemon caramel. The palate is thinner, with also marked acidity that turns into a bitter memory at the end. Even so, balanced and aromatic. Some info webpage: https://www.getariakotxakolina.eus/?lang=en
Just as this hundred-year-old winery did in the last decades of the 19C, revolutionizing the world of wine based on a novel production system with aging in oak barrels as the main innovation, Marqués de Riscal once again shows us that this desire to investigate and improve the wine sector is engraved in its DNA. The only difference with that occasion is that this time the innovation is born in the field. By incorporating mineral fertilizers into the soil and carrying out intensive tillage techniques, it has been impoverished and losing that differential character. All of this, added to the genetic erosion caused by the use of more quantitative than qualitative clones, has led in many cases to wine profiles tending towards uniformity. Changing the paradigm of this type of viticulture is where the Marqués de Riscal technical team is putting all its efforts. A commitment that was born in 1995 when the first steps began to be taken towards successfully developing the grafting technique on old vines. After years of work and experimentation, they have been supporting this idea of reingrafting until in 2017 the commitment was final. Today they have reingrafted 180 hectares with resounding success. This is always nostalgic for me as my maternal grandmother Amparo started me on wines with the Marques de Rical waay back, memories forever, webpage: https://www.marquesderiscal.com/en
Some bodegas or wineries that deserves your attention now and in the future.
The Bodegas Remelluri by Telmo Rodriguez, A winery cannot be more beautiful than the Granja Remelluri at the foot of the Sierra de Tolono. The property was owned by a monastery for a few centuries before the Basque Jaime Rodriguez Salis bought the property in 1968. The approximately 100 hectares of vineyards are on the slopes of three small valleys on more than 100 plots, some with ancient vines. As early as the 10C, the monks were pressing wine from these vineyards, For a long time, the estate was managed according to the specifications of the son Telmo, who was trained in Bordeaux, and who is now finally responsible for Remelluri again after more than 10 years of absence due to the establishment of his own wineries , Remelluri was and will be one of the top quality wineries in Spain. 90% of the wines are aged in French oak, unsatisfactory qualities are sold under a different name, the small amount from the only 40-year-old vines are now being marketed as organic wines (certified only from 2012) under the name »Lindes de Remelluri«. The maceration times of all wines are very long, which explains the closed, velvety, but not rough tannin cover. Only pro visits allowed webpage: http://www.remelluri.com/
The Bodega Lopez de Heredia-Vina Tondonia was founded in Haro in 1877. Around the turn of the century, the company was considered a technology leader thanks to French winemaking technology. Today the company is managed in the fourth generation by María José López de Heredia. The vineyards cover 170 hectares of vines, which are planted with the Rioja varieties Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo, Graciano, Viura and Malvasia. Winemaking is always traditional. Fermentation spontaneously in large wooden vats (there are no steel tanks), fining with egg white, no filtration. 15,000 barrique barrels are available for the wine aging, which are made in the in-house cooperage exclusively from American oak and have been in use for decades, The Crianzas are aged in barriques for three years, the Reservas for 5-6 years and the Gran Reserva for at least nine years before being bottled. The Blanco Gran Reserva is even ten years in barrique. In addition, there is the moderate alcohol content of 12.5% in all wines and the corks are sealed with wax, By the way, the winery’s website is exemplary and the tasting pavilion was designed by world-renowned avant-garde architect Zaha Hadid. Tradition and modernity go hand in hand here. Only pro visits allowed, webpage: https://www.lopezdeheredia.com/indexgb.html
The Bodega La Rioja Alta was founded in Haro in 1877 and has always remained true to its traditional line without a break in style. As a well-deserved result of such a philosophy of quality, the house is one of the most renowned in Rioja and in all of Spain. A special feature of La Rioja Alta wines is that they are already drinkable when they come onto the market, but can also lie dormant in the cellar for another ten or more years without hesitation. The classics are called Vina Ardanza and Vina Arana, both Reservas that are in barriques for two years. The top wines are simply called »904« and »890«. These Gran Reserva assemblages of Tempranillo and Graciano bring the typical Rioja Alta terroir to life, The flagships of Spain’s great traditional wines. Webpage: https://www.riojalta.com/en/
The Bodegas Langa and its partner in China Ted Lin opened their first store in Xiamen, China, last May 2023. The family business -with more than 150 years of history dedicated to the production of quality wines with Designation of Origin Calatayud (Aragon) It was decided to take this step in the face of an increasingly growing demand from the Chinese public. Xiamen is a coastal city located in the province of Fujian, which is why it represents a privileged place at a geographical level to plan an expansion through Chinese territory. The Langa family is one of the most representative wineries in Spain. From 1867 to the present, through five generations, it has been able to transmit the value of its brand while demonstrating a stable and vigorous development. Bodegas Langa is located in the town of Calatayud, in the province of Zaragoza, at the foot of the Sierra Vicor, a magical and sacred place for the ancient Celtiberians and a source of inspiration for the Roman poet Marco Valerio Marcial. The winery was founded in 1867 by Mariano Langa Gallego, and since then it has passed from generation to generation, maintaining the innovative spirit and passion for wine that characterizes this family. Webpage : https://www.bodegas-langa.com/en/
There you go folks, another wonderful post on my dear Spanish wines, Hoping for a long lasting memories of my dearSpain 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 XIV as I
And remember, happy travels, good health,and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 