Sunday, September 5, 2010
Rejadorada, red wine of Toro
It was last August, when we visited the beautiful city of Zamora, where we decided to visit the city of Toro, a city that lives around the wine. Wine that has transformed the Spanish wine scene after the technique and improvement of these wines, once with lots of color and tough, but today without losing these features are more fruity and have managed to captivate the most demanding palates.
Like most wineries are fully industrialized, we decided to visit a quaint little winery, which while not produced in these facilities, it has done and we could not find how and where you stored the wine and everything in a building of high value historical as Rejadorada.
This winery was born in 1999 in the same XV century palace that we visited, but today in a nearby town, San Román (Valladolid) is the art facility where they make the wines that we tasted.
Visit this winery in Toro is quite simple, any toresano tells us how to reach her on the street that bears his name Reja Dorada number 11, you reach a historic building that presents a visit to one of the caves where once was produced and stored the wine. In Toro have a variety of Tempranillo called Tinta de Toro, the climate and terrain makes producing wines with great color and rank.
The cave has a cultural interest, as it is seen as the steep stairs and access to it was difficult and she found inside a vault that covers the roof and keeping the temperature and humidity, and through a vent all the odors and gases that caused the fermentation went abroad. There we saw a documentary history of Toro.
Then we saw the room with the aromas, the anteroom where the company began developing current Rejadorada wines, then go to the store where we tasted the three red wines they produce.
The Rejadorada is an intense red-violet blue with a step of 6 months in oak powerful and meaty. Novellum parenting is passing through our mouth with a cherry red color to evoke the passage of at least 12 months in oak, very lively on the palate with a good offense, but softened in turn leaving a balanced and persistent taste. Sango is the most old aged, an author wine produced (as above) with grapes 100% Tinta de Toro, but this old vines and a stay of 18 months in French oak barrels with an intense ruby red color, and keeping a trim garnet due to its long aging, the nose is highlighted by aromas of ripe red and black with a silky, the palate and velvety, to delight us with a long lingering aftertaste.
A visit that we liked not having to leave the center of Toro and gave us standing as the Colegiata de Santa María sightseeing and enjoy a good meal.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Author wines, Pasiego winery
In the town of Sinarcas, on the border between Valencia and Cuenca in Utiel-Requena region, we found a small winery, which has completely revamped its facilities for lovers of good wine and tourism can enjoy it.
Here we go in scoop to visit this new phase of a winery, Criadores y Artesanos is really his name, which produces the famous wines Pasiego. The winery is located near the N-330 road at the end of Sinarcas, and with his new image, it is very easy to identify with the label Pasiego on the three sides of the building which houses the precious wine.
We arrived at the warehouse almost at once that our host, José Luis Salon, one of the members of this new project that began in 1997 as a hobby among its founding members, and that following the awards made and acceptance of their wines in the market was consolidating in what we know today.
Access to the cave begins with a space to park vehicles and there we find the restored house on the ground floor shows us the tools for winemaking, with the upper back where the reception of grapes and starts the process.
The warehouse area is equipped just to the extent thereof, that were commissioned to make the most space. Also on the ground floor is the barrel room, whose capacity can accommodate approximately 100 units in size from Bordeaux, and after a glass tasting room or reception of visitors, where you can taste four wines that this winery produces.
We arrived at the warehouse almost at once that our host, José Luis Salon, one of the members of this new project that began in 1997 as a hobby among its founding members, and that following the awards made and acceptance of their wines in the market was consolidating in what we know today.
Access to the cave begins with a space to park vehicles and there we find the restored house on the ground floor shows us the tools for winemaking, with the upper back where the reception of grapes and starts the process.
The warehouse area is equipped just to the extent thereof, that were commissioned to make the most space. Also on the ground floor is the barrel room, whose capacity can accommodate approximately 100 units in size from Bordeaux, and after a glass tasting room or reception of visitors, where you can taste four wines that this winery produces.
And we did, of these four options we have three red and white aged in casks for two months, spectacular. The first was a Pasiego Crianza 2005, with 9 months in the barrel and the Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon, from vineyards (recalling that in its beginnings the winery did not have these) or farmers who are committed to the winery.
Next on the list was a Pasiego Reserva 2004 of the same variety as above, but with 10% Merlot, with 13 months aging in oak and the common denominator of all three have a bright red ruby and lots of glycerin, and barely edging the difference in your tone.
Pasiego Autor 2005 was the third red wine that we tasted, wine that combines 47% Cabernet Sauvignon with 33% of Bobal of a wide range of strains and 20% Tempranillo low production. The three wines are very colorful and have enough difference in nose and mouth, but following a distinguished elegance for all to be the hosts of a good table. Red fruits, toast and vanilla tastes and aromas make that show. Perhaps the three wines would be the best table accompany red meats, game and stews, cheeses and elaborate, each with its nuances and evolving over the past two along the food as more light on the palate to fresh air over time.
The White Pasiego Blanco 2009 with a two-month aging in new barrels, surprising the palate with the 'coupage' of two varieties of 50% as the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc very balanced and pleasing to the palate, serve very cold it is recommended to observe evolution while acclimatized in the glass.
A very pleasant visit and recommended to soon have an enriching visit to the time you can sample and purchase this very limited number of spectacular wines and enjoy the company of brothers Salon.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Neo winery, wine and music
Following the path of the DO Ribera del Duero, after eating at Roa and taste the delicacies of the province of Burgos, we were heading to Castrillo de la Vega, a town that houses many of the wineries in the Ribera del Duero, but just before through this town and about to enter Aranda del Duero, we find the modern winery that we visited, Neo.
Arte y Vino, a space dedicated to wine, Aranda del Duero, Ana, had told us that the winery could not miss us, in fact, its owners, organizers Sonorama Ribera, were in the process of dismantling this festival music and film that had just celebrated and did not know if they could meet us. Finally we attended Ivan and we take a look at Bodegas Neo, a single winery in the world to combine the wine with a recording studio. .
The winery has everything needed to produce high expression wines and young wines and fresh, the building is very modern and reception is accessed through a gateway, which runs between a small winery fuente. The winery is very functional and are making room stainless steel tanks where the wines are fermented then pass to a modern barrel room, with more than 400 units of French oak, American and Europe Central.
Curiously, in the barrel room, we can find Some come signed by artists from the worlds of music, such as Amaral and others. The rest of the cave has the typical elements of any other (bottling, bottle aging room, offices ,...) and also the recording studio where he could record up to a symphony orchestra.
The wines are made in several ranges from the classics to the most modern, through the varieties that are exported to over 56 countries and trying to adapt to each country in terms of exterior design and product marketing. They also have other ongoing projects that allow them to make wines from other areas of Castilla-Leon, Spain, in each of the DO, as Rueda or the Priorat, which are themselves produced, renting premises and buying the raw materials they control and certify.
At the end we could not prove their wines by the urgency of our visit and they were right in removing the event which was held this weekend at Aranda del Duero. I wait patiently sent me some samples to taste it and comment in this space as Ivan promised.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Ribera del Duero, Casajús Winery
In Quintana del Pidio, a few kilometers of Aranda del Duero (Burgos) is the family farm run by Jose Alberto Calvo Casajús. Following the family tradition and applying modern techniques of development we found Casajús winery in the heart of the Ribera del Duero.
We found a winery that produces its wines from the vines to bottling following a total dedication to making wines that once produced for own consumption, come now to join the select group of wines that are well recognized worldwide Ribera del Duero .
The wines this small winery produces José Alberto, not over 100,000 bottles, but give them all the characteristics of the Tinta del País which is cultivated in the area, and all the wine matured in oak barrels for aging and even a signature wine fermented and aged in large barrels, which is a delight for the senses.
The winery is on the same road of Quintana del Pidio, to the outskirts of town and features a reception, a lounge for tastings, a craft manufacturing with stainless steel tanks, bottling and labeling, and a room of about 200 barrels approximately, where all the wines mature that the winery produces.
I had the opportunity to taste the wine of the author of the 2008 directly from the barrel, a wine produced in 100% the same, with an ingenious system where the barrel rolls over itself, and with a tap to make pumping and fermentation and will foster their own pace.
This was my first visit to the Ribera del Duero and I found a farm which is carried by one person with a very characteristic and traditional wines.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Chozas Carrascal, wines at the forefront
Finally came the day I could arrange to visit Chozas Carrascal, after that the dates coincide, it was worth visiting this beautiful place and avant-garde as he has shown us our host, Julian Lopez.
Today we felt a sense of profound symbiosis between tradition, culture, modernity, excellent wines and a person in love with his work, which has given us a clock stop on our day to really feel good about ourselves .
The winery is nestled in a sea of vineyards in San Antonio, a district of Requena, in a valley where the AVE train circulate close to joining Valencia with Madrid, but falls short of the 40 ha. vineyard surrounding the house, type 'château' which forms the property has a spectacular location and allows the distance between the vineyards and wineries are flown between 5 or 10 minutes, to be important in the process of harvesting for the grapes do not suffer any break before entering the warehouse.
The visit began by exploring the surrounding area of the house, Alex has been with us a summiller of Barcelona who was visiting and was as surprised as us, while we waited in the cool porch, I watched the beautiful garden Mediterranean and garden variety of strains that are on the outside, which are a sampling of innovative varieties planted in this area producing wines from the cellar. The pool looked inviting us to swim, but we began the visit and have not felt the heat of the morning.
Upon entering the house we found the right taste and decor into the hall and the large living room with a table of spectacular dimensions as well as its thickness and is made of the same trunk in one piece. From there we have come to visit the rest of the cave, going through what we then delight as tasting room.
The rest of the winery is built with concrete blocks designed, painted its walls, giving it a really welcoming and does not denote the sobriety that we can transmit this material. We visited the store of products made and aged in bottle, then go to the fermentation room and elaborations.
In this room I was struck by the presence of concrete tanks that inside there was no kind of cover, where fermenting varieties separately, apart from the stainless steel vats and, according to Julian told us micro-oxygenation occurs through the pores of the concrete, and chilled plate by controlling the fermentation temperature. Very curious to see in this store so modern. We have seen the outside of this room with the press and the thresher, which they use instead of the stemmer so that the grain of the grape does not suffer any damage before reaching the reservoirs.
We have also seen the two lines of bottled wine and cava, and later move to the aging room of cava, watching the bottles and resting horizontal flip machines and some cages with bottles. From there we moved to the wine aging room, with about 200 barrels of 225 liters., all French oak, through which pass the winery sells wines matured or aged in wood. We also visited some ancient deposits that the house had once and serve as a aging room of the winery produces wines to study its evolution.
The visit has brought us to the tasting room and wine exhibition where Julian has surprised us a wonderful beginning to taste the cava, Chardonnay and Macabeo, discreet aroma with tropical fruit on the nose, the mouth we felt rich and volume, a cava-to-eat meats including elaborate.
White wine Las Tres were as follows, made with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Macabeo and two varieties fermented in barrel, in principle, has served quite cold, I guess about 6 °, approximately, which is felt as a syrup peach, oily and rich, while subtle and fresh on the palate and has changed then in the cup, after having changed the temperature as we exchanged views on it. The change has stepped up its aromas and flavors with more structure in the mouth and turning to remember more aromatic citrus and white flowers with a light vanilla aftertaste.
The Cabernet Franc is the red varietal in the cellar, which has evoked more feelings. A wine very mineral, powerful fruit with a bang on the nose and very soothing, a different wine from a variety almost unknown in these zone, giving them a real treat for the senses and is highly recommended to look good with your guests an elegant wine that does not displease the most discerning palates.
Finally we tasted a sweet wine Moscatel de Grano Menudo, which is made in France, where the family also has a winery, and also is a cheerful and pleasant elixir reminiscent of freshly peeled citrus fruits such as tangerines.
The winery produces other wines com Las dos Ces, white and red wines with good value for money, rosé Las Cuatro with very special characteristics and the red Las Ocho, a complex wine to develop and difficult to define the ' blend 'of eight varieties but encouraged to drink by their rounded and smooth tannin.
Finally a nice Saturday morning in summer where we have enjoyed and learned that in Utiel-Requena wines are good, which can be both innovative and traditional work and effort that becomes a reward for the senses and that we We felt at home because of the attention and closeness that Julian has given us during his company's warehouse.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Binifadet, wines from Menorca
No wonder that this island as Mediterranean and further east of our country (Spain) has winemaking tradition. Indeed in the chronicles of the conquest of the island in the thirteenth century, there was talk of the wine produced on earth and probably Phoenicians and Romans used the Mahon harbour great for trade and certainly among the goods went into the sea had wine from the island.
Menorca is a fairly flat island, with land dedicated to crops primarily devoted to supply the beef cattle, which abounds on this island. In times of a British colony, you have surely make wine distillates as the British used for their espirtuos beverage, came from local vineyards.
At present there are nine wineries, with an area of at least 30 hectares, producing wines in various parts of the island. The island has terroirs sandstone, a limestone very fragile, soils are also cluster to the north and south areas of sandstone.
On my vacation I stumbled upon one of the largest wineries, Binifadet, a winery can be visited and which produces about 50,000 liters. of different varieties. Before visiting, by chance, I was in Ciutadella, the city's west end of the island in a place called Sa Fideuera, where I enjoy a young Binifadet Syrah and Merlot red wine very fruity and easy drinking.
When visiting the cellar I found a modern building, the surrounding fields of vineyards and found an impressive range of wines, from rosé Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot, very special, with primary aromas of fruit, a type sparkling brut basis of this same wine, a white Chardonnay with aromas of citrus and a fine palate. The 2004 Merlot, with 12 months in French oak is also a special wine, it shows red and black fruit ripe aromas of vanilla, mineral undergrowth and a touch that makes it quite different.
The winery can be visited and also makes other products like jams wine, dulce de Moscatel, olive oil of Arbequina and vinegar of Chardonnay and Syrah. A surprise in my vacation, so no surprise that the camera and I forgot I had to do the photos from my mobile, so I could collect my visit clearly graphically, but the senses if they were nice.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Heiner Sauer, German wines and also Utiel Requena
Heiner Sauer, German winemaker, created a winery in 1987 the Pfalz, the German Palatinate in the Rhine valley, an area near the border with France. The German tradition of cultivation of white grapes and one of the best areas for growing Riesling and Gewurtztraminer varieties and varieties incorporating 'Burgunder' make this winery produces wines from its 17 ha. following the German tradition of more than 1000 years old.
Harvesting is done by hand with various types of selection, always seeking the highest quality grapes. The winemaking is achieved with modern techniques to extract the maximum exponent in aromas and flavors, but with the traditional view of time and quiet to give the wine to develop gradually.
In Utiel-Requena, Heiner Sauer bought some land in order to produce red wines with Mediterranean character, because in Germany it was very difficult to get acclimatized varieties, its climate and soil types. Bodegas Palmera In particular, the name of the winery on Spanish soil, has 14 ha, south-facing south-west, in the municipality of Utiel, where we can find a fabulous and old strains of almost 50 years Tempranillo, Bobal, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, planted recently.
Here are vinified red wines with character, taking advantage of soil and climatic differences between day and night, at a height close to 700 mts. and less than 100 km from the Mediterranean. Klaus Lauerbach, the winemaker is responsible for controlling the vineyard and the production of these wines, combining these varieties for wine as special as L'Angelet D'or, a Red Guard wine with 20 months in French oak barrels and a grape rigorous selection on process and only when exceptional vintages occur.
L'Angelet, Capricho and Viña Cabriel are the three wines, with special selection, which develops in Spain Bodegas Palmera, remained at 90% of production dedicated for export. For varieties produced in Germany, the white, I have to emphasize his great Rieslling and above all a 'Burgunder' made from Pinot Grey, whose structure in the mouth makes it different from the typical targets of the area.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Visit winery Pago de Tharsys
In my tour of the wineries in the region Utiel-Requena, I must stress that this small winery, located on the outskirts of Requena near the N-III, I had never gone unnoticed in most specialty stores and shops delicacies of the city of Valencia, there was always a major gap in the shelves of its flagship product, Cava Brut Nature Pago de Tharsys, being peculiar to the product label is a twisted ceramic tile with an image of a woman with a big eye and a tousled hair painted in cobalt blue and subjected to the neck of the bottle with a satin ribbon black.
However, it is not fair to qualify for this winery that image, apart from the spectacular wine cellar that has in it in the mouth and was named best sparkling wine from Spain in 2005, but by the variety of products that the winery produces winemaking, product know-how of the family led by Vicente Garcia and Ana Suria, dedicated to this task of making wines and cavas from the mid-twentieth century.
The winery is located in the form of pago, surrounded by vineyards and winemaking complex is formed by the house of the nineteenth century, which has commercial installations, the bottler, the barrel room, a basement, building on the house had trulli , with desks and raising cava bottles and abroad stainless steel tanks less than 10,000 liters. There is also a much larger ship, which is where older deposits, hopper, pneumatic press and other equipment for winemaking. There is another ship that came to visit I guess it will be the warehouse of the winery produces cava and so if you visit are the stills that are used to produce distilled from pomace wine-making and sparkling wine. The complex dispose a Rural Hotel, next to a lake with bird life and can be enjoyed with a visit to the winery for a weekend.
The name Pago de Tharsys, according to the guide that accompanied us from the word "pago" in the world of wine is associated with the winery is surrounded by its own vineyards which supply grapes for wine making (for French château) and Tharsys, referring to the first civilization in the Iberian peninsula, the Tartessos, believed the current farm Requena by traces found in excavations.
As a curious comment that in the 12 acres adjacent Godello and Albariño grown varieties Atlantic difficult to grow in this area, but that his care and attention results in a wine, with their vintage night in early September with a fresh good acidity in the presence of tropical fruit aromas and a very balanced in the mouth. Cabernet Franc are also grown, variety used in the 'coupages' from other varieties such as Bobal (which is made a sparkling white, Pago de Tharsys Unico), Merlot, Chardonnay, Macabeo, among others and as a foreign variety is Bronx, with which it is a sweet and aromatic wine grapes to gain soloing sugars for fermentation.
It is certainly that was a very instructive visit, where we find a variety of products in small quantities, but of excellent quality and above all innovation in design and originality.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Rueda white wines show
The DO Rueda presented its wines and wineries in Valencia yesterday afternoon at a prestigious hotel in the capital of the Turia. Here we come with over 500 people and over 30 wineries that delighted us with the liquid gold of its working.
The Verdejo was the main variety, young, fruity, sweet, expressive nose, full of citrus fruits, scented with jasmine, ... a big event for the senses that brought together the large and Vinos Sanz, Hermanos del Villar, Protos, Domecq, Marques de Riscal, José Pariente, ...
With varieties of Sauvignon Blanc and Viura wines also had enough especially in barrel fermented, which delighted the attendees.
Highlight some barrel fermented wines tasted as Palacio de Bornos Verdejo, Oro de Castilla Verdejo 2006, Finca Montico a Marqués de Riscal brand very expressive and fruity, Belondrade y Lurton 2007 a barrel fermented for 11 months rather spectacular, Cuatro Rayas from Agrícola Castellana with its Sauvignon Blanc Baco de Oro by the UEC ...
Well a wonderful evening organized by the specialized portal Verema.com that gave us great satisfaction and to know the wines of Rueda deeper into these parts.
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