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, I have taken again on the series and coming back at you with my wines news of Spain XVII. Of course post No 17 or the non Romans, Hope you enjoy the post as I.
Starting from the fact that, today, in national territory it is really difficult to find a bad wine (understood as bad, big-headed), there are certain factors to take into account so that we do not get screwed or, to be fair, to the wine culture, so that they don’t give it to us with cheese. The cup, you understand.,,,, But if you don’t want to fail, you are more interested in understanding what it says on the back label. Look at the region of origin, alcoholic strength and ageing. These data will help you get an idea of the type of wine you are going to drink, whether it is light or intense, whether it will have fruity nuances, a marked acidity or a touch of wood. The color does not tell us about the quality, but it does tell us It can indicate other interesting data, such as the age of the wine. For example, in whites, straw yellow tones are synonymous with youth, while gold ones indicate evolution. In red wines, violet edges denote liveliness and orange edges denote oxidation, that is, aging. In rosés, the color responds to a greater or lesser extraction during production, and is always closely linked to market trends. Wine guides are created by people based on their own criteria, which do not have to be the same. than ours. Although they try to measure specific and tangible aspects, ratings are still individual opinions. It does not matter to close the bottle with a cork, plastic, thread or metal plate, since the function of the stopper is only to seal the container. The closure system does not influence the quality of the wine, if anything it will witness its evolution in the bottle. Just as there are very good cheap wines, there are also very expensive ones that are not so expensive. Wine offers us the possibility of traveling from the glass to discover the territory and its customs, so a good way to make the right choice when we don’t know what to order is to let ourselves be carried away by what is made or drunk in the area where that we are. Today there are carefully chosen house wines, even bottles made exclusively for the restaurant, which are intended to introduce customers to a unique winery, a style of wine that goes especially well with the cuisine, or simply make their lives easier. to the less expert public. Originally, a house wine is a small gem discovered by the restaurant that is offered to the customer so that it does not affect their wallet. You don’t need to know a glossary of words to show that you know more than anyone else. Really not. At the time of tasting, every assessment is correct and no one, no matter how expert, can tell you that you are wrong. A well-made wine that corresponds to the area, the land and the grape. Organic or not: a sincere wine. If after all the above you still have doubts, the sommelier will be your best ally to get the wine right in the restaurant. A good professional will not try to sell you the most expensive wine but rather the one that best suits your tastes and desires (as well as your pocketbook). And the same will happen in a wine store.
The title of oldest winery in Spain is, without a doubt, the title most disputed by all those historic houses that, for centuries, have continued to make wine throughout our geography. In a country where numerous archaeological remains speak of the transformation of grapes long before Roman times, there are many wineries that boast centenary anniversaries. Some of them are still, today, in the hands of the founding families. To find the wine-growing roots of Spain we have to travel to Penedés, at the gates of Codorníu, the modernist farmhouse designed by Puig i Cadafalch, a disciple of Antonio Gaudí and known as the Cava Cathedral -declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument in 1976-. More than 470 years of history and know-how surround the history of the oldest winery in Spain, whose origin dates back to the 16C, specifically 1551. The event that marked the trajectory of this house was a link between Anna, the heiress of the farmhouse and vineyards of Can Codorníu, and the winegrower Miquel Raventós. A union that would forever link the Codorníu-Raventós surnames to the company’s alma mater. The rest is wine history. After many years of experiments and a trip to Champagne, in 1872, Josep Raventós Fatjó made the first cava.
But there is only one region that concentrates more wine history per square meter: La Rioja. Stroll through the old Haro Station neighborhood, remembering that ‘wine train’ that made it possible for bottles from historic wineries such as Bilbaínas, Viña Pomal, CVNE, Muga or Roda to be marketed in the rest of Spain and overseas, as important enough for the first electric lighting in the country to be launched in this small city, it is a good way to understand the value of this wine land whose vineyards extend to the Alava domains. Bodegas Casa Primicia recovers a family project that has its roots in a tradition of more than five centuries. Julián Madrid rescued Casa de la Primicia from oblivion, the oldest civil building in the town of Laguardia, where, nine meters underground, the oldest cellars in Rioja Alavesa are located to make high-quality wines. Family tradition that is now continued by his current manager, Iker Madrid. Nor can we forget about Montecillo, founded in 1870 by Don Celestino Navajas Matute and acquired in 1973 by the Osborne Family. It is the oldest winery in Fuenmayor and the third oldest in the D.O.Ca. Rioja, whose underground cellars have housed vintages since 1926, as well as an impressive wine rack where hundreds of Gran Reserva bottles are stacked by hand on top of each other, without any support and with such precision and firmness that you could walk on them. More than 150 years after its founding, The Marqués de Murrieta knows well the responsibility that comes with carrying the weight of inheritance because his history is that of La Rioja. Or, rather, that of Rioja. In 1852, Luciano Murrieta produced what is considered the first ‘fine wine’ of the region. His export vocation led him to send 50 barrels to Cuba and the same number to Mexico to check if his wines were capable of remaining stable after a transatlantic trip. He received no news from Mexico, but the Cuban press praised the quality of the wines received, encouraging him to conquer new ports. This visionary, named marquis by King Amadeo of Savoy, acquired the Ygay Estate in 1877 and in 1878 ordered the construction of the emblematic castle of the same name in the purest Bordeaux château style: a winery surrounded by its own vineyard, the rooms of the Ygay Castle, restored and converted into a museum, through the winery’s wine collections -some dating back to 1852-, as well as different historical documents and labels, we can get an idea of the role that Marqués de Murrieta had in putting Rioja in the world. Vicente Dalmau Cebrián-Sagarriga, eleventh Count of Creixell, today presides over the winery together with his sister Cristina, bringing a new vision to the business that is based on a renovation of the winery and the wines, as well as an ambitious plan of wine tourism.
About to turn 250 years old, El Grifo is the oldest winery in the Canary archipelago. Located in the protected area of La Geria, Lanzarote, which was covered in lava and ash after the volcanic eruptions of 1730 to 1736, and redesigned by César Manrique, wine has been produced continuously in its facilities since 1775. Juan José Otamendi, owner from El Grifo with his brother Fermín. Lanzarote was the last Canary Island to make wine. The great eruption of the 18C covered a good part of the island in lava. It transformed the island, increased its size and favored large-scale vineyards, because the volcanic sand minimizes the evaporation of the scarce rains. The eruption made the vineyard possible. We know precisely the date of construction of the covered winepress, 1775. The manager of El Grifo in 1982, Felipe Blanco Pinilla, ordered the demolition of an old tank in the vinegar room, and at its base the inscription appeared: Jesús, María y José Grifo 1775 . Hence the name of the winery. The wine of the first family and part of the second was used to produce spirits, despite the lack of fuel in Lanzarote. Then came the phase of wine consumption, with which the volcanic malvasía took the lead, to the detriment of the listán blanco. The varieties were brought from the larger islands, mostly white. Tenerife changed the color of its wines in the second half of the 19C, dedicating itself especially to the red listán negro. However, Lanzarote continued to maintain its white varieties. They turned the old winery into a Wine Museum.
Barbadillo in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Osborne in Puerto de Santa María, with its brand new 250 years just turned, the legendary winery of Tío Pepe in Jerez de la Frontera, the soleras of Gutiérrez Colosía or the roots of Bodegas Tradición, in whose historical archive , dating back to 1650, we find documents of incalculable value that reflect the commercial relationship of this family with wine for 400 years. We are talking about the wines of the Marco de Jerez and Montilla-Moriles, two regions that concentrate another good cluster of old wineries. Bodegas Delgado Zuleta, the oldest winery in Marco de Jerez. According to different documents, its origins date back to the 18C. The oldest file belongs to 1719, and it is known that it was in 1744 when the Charger to the Indies, Knight of the Order of Calatrava and Perpetual Regidor of Sanlúcar, Don Francisco Gil de Ledesma and Sotomayor, began the activity of the wine company dedicated to trade with America, becoming suppliers to the Royal Household of their Majesties Don Alfonso XIII and Doña Victoria Eugenia. Relationships that have been maintained until our century: La Goya chamomile was selected for the wedding of the Kings of Spain, Don Felipe de Borbón and Doña Letizia Ortiz. Bodegas Fundador selecting the best barrels that previously contained sherry wine (our famous ‘sherry casks’) to age our best brandies in them. The father of Bodegas Fundador was Patrick Murphy, an Irish farmer and winemaker who arrived in Jerez in 1725 to establish a wool export business. Shortly after his stay in the city, he discovered the opportunities that the Sherry wine business was beginning to offer and in 1730 he decided to acquire an old winery, part of the current El Molino Winery, the oldest in the Marco, to establish his business. production, storage and export of sherries In this building rest ancient soleras, the wines and brandies that were the origin of the brands we know today. True relics whose average ages are around one hundred years. And from the castle to La Mezquita, a colossal winery of modern construction, one of the largest in the world, which was inaugurated in 1974 to celebrate 100 years of the Fundador brand, the oldest of the Spanish brandies. A majestic winery, whose impressive perspectives are drawn by the columns, arches and the 30,000 wine casks that it currently stores.
After Jerez, there is Montilla. And vice versa. Founded in 1729, Alvear is the oldest winery, not only in this town of Córdoba province, but in all of Andalusia. Almost three centuries of history contemplate this family company that prides itself on being the second winery with the longest history in Spain and its C.B. brand, the fifth oldest. Now it is the eighth generation that is responsible for preserving the knowledge and values acquired without losing sight of the future !
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, Again,hope you enjoy the series of wines news of Spain XVII as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health,and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 