No wine snobs here, just enthusiastic drinkers of all wines
Back in January this year, on one of my previous trips to the Mijas Costa, I tried a locally produced garage wine Malapipa and absolutely loved it. What was more exciting was the vines were grown very close to our apartment in the Mijas hills just above the Higueron Restaurant. Well I drove up those … Continue reading Malvajio Chardonnay 2017
The first of three wines tried on a recent trip to the Mijas Costa in the Malaga region. This first wine caught my eye because it's from Arcos de la Frontera and I've never tried a dry wine from there before. Didn't know they made them. The region which is inland from Jerez is better … Continue reading Tierra Blanca 2018
The second wine at the Itsy Bitsy Bodegas Tasting by Devour Madrid. This white wine come from the Tierra de Leon region and uses a lesser known local grape Albarín. Apparently it was in danger of being lost in that region and the winemaker, Rafael, bought land with these vines specifically to save and cultivate … Continue reading Pardevalles Albarín 2018
The second wine of the Italian Mountain Wines tasting at DOC Enoteca Italiana. Another white wine from the IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) Vignete De le Dolomiti in the Trentino region of Italy. Made from a Manzoni Chardonnay hybrid, this wine is left on it's lees for a minimum of 24 months, part of this time … Continue reading Maso Franch Bianco 2015
The first wine at the Mountain Wines Tasting at DOC Enoteca Italiana. This wine is from the Trentino region of Italy which is in the north and borders with Austria. The northern half of this region used to belong to Austria and uses grapes more often associated with Austria and Germany. These are cool climate … Continue reading Praepositus Riesling 2016
Named after the winery's former president, this is one of Bodega Cuatro Rayas' most select wines. It was a surprise addition to the tasting at vinopremier.com. 100% Verdejo. It is made from the best grapes from Cuatro Rayas' oldest vines (over 100 years of age) and spends 8 months maturing in french oak. It should … Continue reading Amador Diez Cuvee 2017
In the 1980s the Spanish wine industry went through a revolution in modernising wine making techniques, introducing quality standards and perfecting which grapes grow best in their soil. Rueda is one of the most successful examples of this revolution. Prior to this time many Bodegas in the Rueda region acted as co operatives. Local farmers … Continue reading Dorado 61
The second white wine from the Bodega Cuatro Rayas tasting at Vinopremier.com. Another Rueda Verdejo Wine but this time with grapes harvested from vines over 100 years old and left on the lees for about 5 months. It is made using more traditional methods and only a limited number of bottles are produced. Like the … Continue reading Cuatro Rayas Viñedos Centenarios 2018
Last month Cuatro Rayas Bodega paid a visit to Vinopremier.com to let us sample their range of wines. Reading their website Cuatro Rayas is a large winery using modern wine making methods designed for bulk. It produces some 20% of all wines from the Rueda region, about 15 million bottles annually, and exports much of … Continue reading Cuatro Rayas Verdejo 2018
This wine is an excellent example of how sometimes a Vino de Tierra is your best choice. Historically when it comes to the Spanish wine quality labelling system wines from a DO or DOCa were a guarantee of quality levels and wines representative of that region. Vinos de Tierra were considered the lesser cousin. These … Continue reading Barcolobo Verdejo
