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You are here: Home / Archives for Spain's Wine Country

Cambados – Albariño Land

August 1, 2020 by Joe Becerra

Coastal Cambados - Small plots of Albariño vineyards
Coastal Cambados – Small plots of Albariño vineyards

Harvest time in Cambados – Albariño

Update as of August 1, 2020

The tourist office in Santiago De Compostela recommended that if we had a chance, we should be sure to visit the town of Cambados, “It is the center of wine activity in the Rias Baixas.” We packed our bags and left our Parador in Pontevedra, heading towards Cambados for a day trip before heading south towards Madrid. It turned out to be an excellent recommendation. Our day in Cambados was enjoyable and exciting. However, if you are not a wine lover, the trip might not be that impressive.

Albariño grapes in bins
Albariño grapes waiting to be shipped to the winery

Cambados is on the Atlantic Coast, and it was a beautiful ride as we followed the coastline from Pontevedra to Cambados. Everything was green in the area – the hills, the fields, and the vineyards; we were in Green Spain. As we approached the town, we took a couple of side roads and spotted workers harvesting the grapes. Picking grapes in the Rias Baixas is so different from that of the Napa Valley or anywhere in California wine country.

Coastal Cambados
Coastal Cambados

The pace is slow and methodical. In California, the workers literally run with their containers, toss the grapes into a one-ton bin, and then rush back to fill their cartons. Here, the workers have one bin that they fill and then leave it on the ground. The containers are picked up later, placed on palattes, and brought to the winery on small trucks.

Workers stand to harvest the Albariño grapes
Workers stand to harvest the Albariño grapes

In the Rias Baixas, the grape pickers do not have to stoop or couch to pick the grapes which is unique to this area. All the clusters are above them. All the vines are high off the ground. Rias Baixas is a soggy and wet wine country, and the high trellis system protects the grapes from rot.

Martin Codax – Coop Winery

We drove by a winery, Bodega Martin Codax. The crush was at a fever pitch at this winery. Trucks arrived with palettes of grapes that were then positioned on conveyer belts where the bins were dumped and sent to equipment for de-stemming and crushing.

Martin Codax winery

Martín Códax is a cooperative winery, with more than 1,400 small vineyard parcels farmed by 550 families around Cambados. While we watched, several individual growers came to the winery with their harvest. One was a woman who pulled up in a small truck with a palette of grapes. I asked if I could take her picture. She was so proud of the grapes. Her faced filled with joy as she picked up a cluster of grapes to show us. “Aquí, pruébalos, no tienen químicos, son dulces y deliciosos.” (“Here, taste them. They have no chemicals; they are sweet and delicious.”)

Proud of her vines

Cambados is a wine town, and during harvest the entire village celebrates.
There are many Vinotecas or wine shops, and they are all about Albarino wine. If you visit Santiago De Compostela, consider a side trip for a day or two to this beautiful area that loves their Albariño wine.

One of the many small growers who are part of the Martin Codax coop

Martin Codax Albariño

The Martin Codax Albariño wine is widely available in the U.S. The wines are imported by the Gallo Family. BevMo and Total Wine stores carry the entry level of the Martin Codax Albariño for about $15. You might want to give a glass a try while you read our blog. Thanks!

Filed Under: Spain's Wine Country

Tempranillo Blanco is alive and well

December 21, 2013 by Joe Becerra

image of tempranillo blanco wine

Tempranillo Blanco is blended in this Vivanco white wine

How Tempranillo Blanco came to be

We all know about the grand grape of Spain, Tempranillo. The Rioja, Ribera Del Duero, Toro, and other wine regions of Spain produce beautiful red wines from this grape. In our previous post we explained the origin of Tempranillo and its qualities. When we met with Rafael Vivanco at his demonstration vineyard garden we learned about Tempranillo Blanco, a very new grape found only in the Rioja wine region.

Tempranillo Blanco is a grape that mutated naturally. This happened in 1995 in the village of Murillo near Logrono, Spain. An old wine grower discovered in the middle of his vineyard one shoot on his Tempranillo vine yielding white clusters of grapes. He immediately called the University of Rioja Enology Center. The university began experimentations and determined this was a natural mutation resulting in a change in the Tempranillo grape to its color and to the size of the berry. In 2008 the grape was recognized officially by the government of Spain as Tempranillo Blanco. Immediately following the authorization of Tempranillo Blanco, Rafael planted vines and currently has 12 hectares of Tempranillo Blanco.

Listen as Rafael explains how he currently uses Tempranillo Blanco and what he may do in the future.

The Bodegas Dinastia Vivanco is located in the town of Briones, Spain. The winery is unique in that it has, in addition to its winemaking cellars, the demonstration garden, a fabulous restaurant, and what is regarded as the greatest wine museum in the world. For the wine country traveler to Spain, this winery is a “must visit.”

The village of Briones

The village of Briones

Filed Under: Rioja, Spain's Wine Country, Travel Tips Tagged With: Briones, Dinastia Vivanco, Rafael Vivanco, Rioja, Tempranillo Blanco, white tempranillo

Rene Barbier: the Robert Mondavi of the Priorat

November 23, 2013 by Joe Becerra

Rene Barbier - Bodegas Clos Madagor
Rene Barbier – Bodegas Clos Mogador

Rene Barbier at Clos Mogador

We continue with our summary of the outstanding wineries that we visited in the Priorat and Montsant wine regions, on our Press Trip for the Digital Wine Communication Conference, in October of this year. On a warm sunny afternoon, our caravan of two off-road vehicles carrying 14 wine bloggers arrived at the famed vineyards of Clos Mogador in the village of Gratallops. It is here where we meet the legendary Rene Barbier, and perhaps you might say, the Robert Mondavi of the Priorat wine region. As we stroll along his Garnacha vines, he speaks with passion about his land and the wines he produces.

In the early 1980’s Rene Barbier, along with Alvaro Palacios (Bodegas Palacios in the Rioja) and a few others, became fascinated with the potential of the Priorat becoming a great winemaking area. They knew that there was a unique terroir, great climate and slate soil. The area’s vineyards had been devastated by Phylloxera in the early 1900’s, and then came the Spanish Civil War. People left in droves and there was no thought of revitalizing the vineyard land until Rene Barbier and his friends came along. 1989 was the first vintage of Rene’s Priorat wine. It only took a few more years before wine critics around the globe became enamored with the Priorat wine.

In a beautiful setting, with the village of Gratallops as the backdrop, Rene Barbier explains that we are looking at a Garnacha vineyard like no other in the Priorat. This vineyard has many vines that are up to 100 years old, but interspersed are new vines that are only 2 years old. In the back of the vineyard are 15-year-old vines, and to the right are 35-year-old vines. Rene is constantly replanting. He also allows many wild plants to grow among the vines, believing that biodiversity is good for the soil and the vines. He is also planting many “cereal plants” among the vines, expecting that they will be beneficial to the vines. All his old vines are dry farmed. Newly planted vines do receive some water but once the roots take hold they are dry farmed.

In 2005 this Garnacha vineyard was given the highest possible designation. In the U.S. any winery can label a wine as a single vineyard wine. All we know about that wine is that it came from one vineyard but, of course, we know little about the quality of that vineyard. Rene’s Clos Mogador Vineyard has been given the estate vineyard designation by the Spanish government. Only the grapes from that vineyard can go into that wine. If the vintage is not good that year, the wine cannot be produced. The wine produced from this vineyard is called Clos Mogador.

Some distance away Rene also has a vineyard that is all Carigane. From those grapes he produces a wine called Manyetes. It is mostly Carigane and highly regarded. He shows us a house above the hill and tells us that is a vineyard from which he makes a unique white wine called Nelin. It is prominently Garnacha Blanc, but has a blend of four other grapes including Pinot Noir.

We stroll around a corner of the vineyards and in front of us is a wonderful tasting area. The table is old millstone and the bench has been constructed from stones. Here we taste the lineup of the Clos Mogador wines. Included in the tasting are back vintages of the 2001 Clos Mogador and the 2001 Manyetes. The wines are all amazing, deep, dark colored, rich in flavors and highly complex. We taste a back vintage of the white Nelin wine and it is lush. How often does one get a chance to try wines of extreme high quality alongside their legendary winemaker in the vineyards from which they were made? Memorable!

Hillside vineyards at Clos Madagor
Hillside vineyards at Clos Modagor

Filed Under: Priorat, Spain's Wine Country, Travel Tips, Wine Information Tagged With: Clos Mogador, Gratallops, Manyetes, Nelin, Rene Barbier

Kosher Wines – Celler de Capcanes

November 13, 2013 by Janelle Becerra

Cellar De Capcanes and the Kosher Wines

Of all the exciting wineries we visited in October on our European Wine Bloggers Pre-Conference trip to the Priorat and Montsant wine regions in Spain, one of the most interesting to me was Celler de Capcanes. What is unique about this winery is that they produce 3 Kosher wines: Peraj Ha’abib, Flor del Flor de Primavera and Peraj petita. Even though Kosher wines account for only 2% of Capcanes’ production, these wines are highly popular in Barcelona.

image of kosher wine

One of three kosher wines produced at Capcanes

Kosher wine production inside the gate

Kosher wine production inside the gate

Not being Jewish, I knew almost nothing about Kosher wines. I was fascinated to learn of the many restrictions placed on the making and handling of wine to comply with Jewish Law. All aspects of the production and handling of Kosher wine before and after the bottle has been opened must be done by Jewish hands. Even by just looking at a wine, a non-Jew can contaminate it. For that reason, the Kosher cellars at Capcanes are closed to visitors.

Capcanes has a long history dating back to the Middle Ages. Over the years, many people left the area for bigger cities following the devastation to vineyards from Phylloxera and the advent of industrialization. In 1933, five families from the village established a co-operative, so they’d be able to survive as farmers and be able to efficiently sell their grapes. A significant change came in 1995 when the Jewish community of Barcelona, 100 miles away, asked Capcanes to produce a Kosher wine. That required new equipment to be installed. From the popularity of these Kosher wines, Capcanes attracted investors, and much of the winery was remodeled and modernized. The other 98% of Capcanes’ wines now enjoy a distinctive reputation around the world.

Our tour and tasting was led by Jurgen Wagner. He is the co-winemaker and the director of operations at Capcanes. In the photo below he is pictured with an assistant currently interning at Capcanes in the production of Kosher wines.

Jurgen Wagner with intern

Jurgen Wagner with the intern

On a side note, one of the wines produced at Capcanes is a wine that we have purchased locally at K&L Wines. It is produced specifically for the U.S. market and imported by Eric Solomon. The wine is Mas Donis Barrica, and the current vintage is 2009. It is a highly acclaimed wine and value priced at $11.99. It is delicious and is a great choice for your Thanksgiving dinner. You can read Joe’s review of the Mas Donis at Wine Values and Bargains.

For more information on the wines of Capcanes, visit their website

Filed Under: Spain's Wine Country, Travel Tips, Wine Information Tagged With: Celler de Capcanes, Jurgen Wagner, Kosher wines

Bodegas Mas Alta

November 8, 2013 by Joe Becerra

bodegas-mas-alta

Bodegas Mas Alta

In a previous post I gave an overview of the Priorat and Montsant wine regions of Spain. Over the next few weeks I will be posting about individual wineries we visited in these two areas. I will begin with Bodegas Mas Alta. It turns out, as I discovered on this visit to Bodegas Mas Alta, that the winery produces a favorite wine of ours called Black Slate. I reviewed the wine last January on another blog, Wine Values and Bargains. It is a delicious wine reflecting the characteristics of the Priorat region, and it is a fantastic value at under $20.

When we arrived for our visit at Bodegas Mas Alta, the winery was a filled with activity. The winery was experiencing the “crush” at full throttle. Grapes were being brought into the winery, sorted, and delivered to the fermenting tanks. The sorting occurs in two phases. In the first sort, grape clusters are inspected, with any bad fruit removed. The clusters are processed, releasing all the grapes from the stems. At the next sort table, individual berries are inspected and any bad ones removed. The next stage was something I had not seen in any of the many wineries I have visited. The sorted berries drop into a rubber basket about 5 gallons in size. A worker then picks up the basket and dumps the grapes into a large cylindrical stainless steel bin. When that bin is filled with the grape berries, it is attached to a pulley system. Using a hand-held remote control device, the worker directs this cylindrical bin until it is directly over a large cement-fermenting tank. The grapes are then dropped into the fermenting tanks. Check it out in this video.

We love the setting of this winery as you drive along the steep switch-back roads. The winery has a majestic look, Spanish in style and blending in perfectly with the terrain. From the front patio of the winery we get a stunning view of the village, Vilella Alta, sitting on a hill above the winery. This is where we tasted and discussed the wonderful wines of Bodegas Mas Alta.

Bodegas Mas Alta is owned by a Belgian couple, but they entrust much of the winery operations to enologist Bixente Ocagrain and his wife Diane. They greeted us (14 wine bloggers) and led us on a tour of the winery and a tasting of their wonderful wines. The winery is located in the town of Vilella Alta and is in a nature reserve. If you are visiting the Priorat area, be sure to visit this winery. You will enjoy everything about your visit.

Tasting wine at Bodegas Mas Alta - The village Vilella Alta in the background

Tasting wine at Bodegas Mas Alta – The village Vilella Alta in the background

Filed Under: Spain's Wine Country, Wine Information Tagged With: Black slate, Bodegas Mas Alta, Crush activities, Vilella Alta

Spanish Pantry Wine Tasting in San Francisco

April 23, 2009 by Joe Becerra

If you read our blogs you know that we recently returned from Argentina and Chile and are very impressed with the overall quality of their wines. We were also in Spain in 2007 and also enjoyed the Spanish wines and seek them out as often as we can. On Wednesday, we attended the Spanish Pantry, an exhibit of Spanish wine and food at the old Federal Reserve building in San Francisco on Battery Street near the Embarcadero.

This is the third year in a row for the Spanish Pantry event in San Francisco. The event is designed to showcase Spanish wineries and Spanish food companies. Most of the wineries and food companies are there to find importers or direct sales contacts. We attended to learn more about Spanish wines and to discover wineries that we might add to our Spanish Wine Country website. There were 33 wineries present and between the two of us we managed to hit each table and taste a number of wines.

Read More »

Filed Under: Spain's Wine Country, Wine Information Tagged With: Spanish wine

The Wine Traveler Looks Back as Spain

October 16, 2007 by Joe Becerra

We are back in the good old USA after a fabulous four-week adventure in Spain. We would like to return again to experience more of the Spanish lifestyle and their wonderful food and wine. We have learned much on this trip and this will surely help us on our next Spanish adventure.

The wine region of La Rioja is one area where we would love to spend more time. We would spend at least three full days there, and stay in one of the small La Rioja towns. We missed out on the tour and tasting at the amazing Bodega Marques de Riscal. We would love to tour the inside of the Bodega Ysios (Photo).

Read More »

Filed Under: Spain's Wine Country

The Wine Traveler in Barcelona, The Land of Cava

October 8, 2007 by Joe Becerra

Barcelona is the last leg of our four-week trip to Spain. We are staying at the Hotel Montecarlo located on one of the busiest streets in the world, La Rambla. Getting to Barcelona was easier than we expected. From San Sebastian we returned our car at the San Sebastian airport and hopped on a turbo jet to Barcelona. From the airport it is a 20-minute bus ride to the Placa Catalunya and then about a quarter mile walk with bags to the Hotel Montecarlo.

This is by far the most cosmopolitan city we have visited in Spain. There are tourists from all over the world. There is a constant stream of people on La Rambla and side streets. In the Barrio Gothic there are many narrow streets that intertwine and provide a great adventure.

Read More »

Filed Under: Spain's Wine Country

The Wine Traveler Visits the Museo Guggenheim Bilbao

October 5, 2007 by Joe Becerra

A couple of blog posts back, we wrote about our visit to the Bodegas Marques de Riscal designed by Frank Gehry. We mentioned the word “gaudy”and suggested we did not care for the design of the Bodega. We have to admit that was a very premature judgment. After all, we did not see the bodega close up and were only able to view the top portion of the building.

After visiting the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao we have a much different opinion of the works of Frank Gehry. The Guggenheim in Bilbao is mesmerizing. The more you gaze at the structure, the more you are drawn to it. The titanium façade and various forms and shapes are almost hypnotic. Somehow Gehry’s ultra modern design fits perfectly into the landscape of the city. It is fascinating, astonishing, and beautiful.

Read More »

Filed Under: Spain's Wine Country

The Wine Traveler in San Sebastian

October 4, 2007 by Joe Becerra

We have arrived in the northeast city of San Sebastian/Donostia. Since San Sebastian is in Basque country, like all city names, it has its Spanish version and its Basque version (Donostia). We have rented a four-bedroom apartment with easy access to the beach and the old part of town. Our apartment has a full kitchen and a comfortable living room. We will be spending four full days here relaxing and dining. The weather is not the greatest with days partly cloudy and some rain. The temperature is in the 70’s and it is quite humid.

Read More »

Filed Under: Spain's Wine Country

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