Like Spanish Wine? – El vino puro de España! – 6 bottle Mixed Case
Intro
We have just got back from our holidays in Andalucia. It is an incredible place, very busy and developed on the well known Costa del Sol but almost deserted inland where the punishing heat keeps almost everyone indoors from midday to 8pm. Only the few crazy tourists (like us) are daft enough to be taking in the sites of the Medieval city of Cordoba in 40 degree heat! We did find a great little natural wine bar though, called La Boca, we highly recommend it.
Anyway, our recent trip leads us nicely into the final Grand Tour of the Cycling season, the amazing Vuelta d'Espagne which started on Saturday in Lisbon, Portugal before crossing the border back into Spain yesterday. Yes, there is another Cycling Grand Tour and it gives us the opportunity to select 6 delicious and fascinating Spanish wines for our August mixed case. Wether you like cycling or not, these wines are superb and a real deep dive into what Spanish natural growers can do. What is most surprising is the lightness of touch in these wines. Spain is hot, pretty much everywhere but especially in the south. Today the riders in the race finish in Seville where the temperature will be in the 40s (that is some hard bike riding!) yet despite these tough growing conditions, Spanish natural wine makers are producing fresher and fresher wines with a lovely, easy drinkability.
So this years race and case.....
In terms of wine, the race goes close to if not right through many of the well known DOs (Denominacion de Origen). It spends two days in the heart of La Rioja so we have two wines from that region in our case. The northern coastline, through Galizia, Asturias and Cantabria, features heavily so Albarino and Bierzo naturally make it into the case as well. The stages through Andalucia featuring many of the regions beautiful cities, including Granada, Cordoba, Sevilla, and Jerez will be magnificent to watch. They ride part way up Sierra Nevada and I can tell you having just ridden the mountain in 35 degree heat, this will be a cauldron for the riders.
Andalucia produces an incredible 40% of the world’s olive oil and you can believe it when riding around the interior and all you can see are olive trees, carpeting the mountains for mile after mile, seemingly never ending. Of course, in terms of wine, Andalucia is famous for fortified, mainly Sherry over to the east from Jerez and Sanlucar but also Montilla wine produced in the region of Cordoba and the lesser known Malaga wine made in the hills over the city. All these wines are made from Palomino and Pedro Ximinez grapes and due to the heat are low in acid and so lend themselves well to fortification. We have put a super Manzanilla En Rama in our case which is gorgeous served ice cold on the terrace. I would have liked to include a Malaga wine but we don’t have one listed which is a shame as they are very traditional and very tasty (we will be keeping our eye out for a decent one).
A recent lovely experience in the old town of Malaga was to nip into the bar/bodega called the Antigua Casa de Guardia just outside the central tube station and have a glass straight from the barrel. I had a dry, fino style which was delicious, and only 1 euro 50! They will then fill you a bottle straight from the cask for about 8 euros, pretty cool. Anyway, back to the route and our case.
The final stages of the race take place in the north again and then they transfer back to Madrid. Although the race doesn’t head into the Gredos Mountains just outside Madrid and home to some of Spain’s best Garnacha wine, they go close enough, so we have included one in our case, from super famous Comando G, probably the most lauded producer in the area.
We have kept the price for our case the same as last year (despite inflation) and the wines in here are exceptionally good quality so snap it up. Salud!
The Wines
STAGE 6 – Carrefour Jerez Sur. Jerez de la Frontera > Yunquera
Manzanilla Gabriela Oro en Rama NV
Fino en Rama is about as close as sherry gets to natural wine. Literally meaning from 'from the branch', En Rama wines are made un-fined, unfiltered and bottled direct from the cask. Gabriela Oro (Gold) is also fermented wild which is rare in sherry and it tastes like liquid Gold with a punch of alcohol. This is exceptional Sherry, perfect for the late Summer, with Autumn round the corner and a chill to the evening air, some extra weight and texture in our glass is ideal.
STAGE 10 – Ponteareas > Baiona
Terras Gauda O Rosal 2023
O Rosal is a selected blend of Albarino from the O Rosal subzone in Galicia with the indigenous high quality grapes of Louriero and Caino Blanco. With zip, texture, aromatics and style, this delicious seafood pairing wine reminds somewhat of a classy Riesling with Albarino fresh tropical fruits for good measure.
STAGE 14 – Villafranca del Bierzo > Villablino
Bierzo Petit Pittacum 2022
Old fashioned methods, native yeasts and old vines of Mencia combine here to produce a delicious Joven style red at exceptional value for money. Petit Pittacum is crunchy, lively and abounds with red fruits and subtle pepper spice, a lovely red served chilled with grilled fish.
STAGE 19 – Logroño > Alto de Moncalvillo
Gran Cerdo Blanco Viura 2023
Gran Cerdo is all about simple, affordable, great natural wine. The white wine is mainly the white Rioja Grape Viura with about 20% of various other grapes including things like Gruner Veltliner and Macabeo. This is not complicated wine but something that you can serve chilled with some simple tapas and comfortably smash away a couple of bottles with friends and enjoy every minute. The price tag also excellent and makes this boutique wine extremely friendly!
STAGE 18 – Vitoria-Gasteiz > Maeztu-Parque Natural de Izki
Rioja Soplar Bodega Moraza 2021
'Great wine requires a mad man to grow the vine, a wise man to watch over it, a lucid poet to make it, and a lover to drink it...' Salvador Dali - The beautiful words which adorn the front of the Bodega Moraza website and very much encapsulate the philosophy of their wine maker and leader Janire Moraza. Soplar is a Poet's Rioja, unexpected, easy on the palate, lyrical and soft, you can enjoy it on a very simple level with friends over a late supper or spend a bit more time with it and listen to what it tells you about nature and the Tempranillo grape. Stripped back and Raw, it is made with zero added sulphur or manipulations.
STAGE 21 – Distrito Telefónica. Madrid > Madrid
La Bruja de Rozas Comando G 2022
If there is one vine growing area I would to visit, it is the Gredos Mountains, west of Madrid. This is fine country for the noble Grenache, where the grape gets that moderating influence of altitude and cooler night time temperatures which keep its tendency for low acid and jammyness in check. La Bruja is made from grapes grown in two vineyards located in Cadalso de los Vidrios which together add up to 2.5 hectares. The soils are granite, planted with 50 to 80-year old vines. Natural fermentation takes place in wooden vats with a very gentle gentle maceration process. Ageing takes place in French oak, first in 25-Hl vats and then in 500-litre barrels, over a total of five months. These wines are all about freshness, a Pinot Noir style Garnacha. Although the abv is around 14%, it is seamlessly woven into the palate. The wine is delightful and easy drinking and will go with anything.
