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| The tower at Lopez de Heredia as seen from the La Rioja Alta grounds |
It seems like it's been a long while in between posts but we have been busy. This kid raising thing, a day job, and general life get in the way of our wine drinking (and other times spur it on), as many of you may already know.
The good news is that we have managed to encapsulate our Spanish / European wine adventures through a clever little app called Delectable. Think of this as your sticker book for wines where each wine is automatically categorized by country, region, sub-region, and district (sub-sub region). It is a great way to capture what you have drunk (label, year, producer, tasting notes, etc.) so that you can revisit at anytime. You can follow us (under Paco Suro) and the wines (and beer) we have sampled in Spain (100+ and counting) through the app.
Thinking about what we have learned to date, commonality is the term which comes to mind. If you stick to the key regions in Spain (Ribera del Duero, Toro, La Rioja, Rueda, Rias Baixas, Priorat) you will have covered the majority of wines that are exported. There is a much larger landscape and we have discovered some real gems outside of the better-known regions. But those six main regions are the best starting point for a beginner connoisseur of Spanish wines (ok perhaps an intermediate).
On the tail end of our recent spring road trip throughout Portugal and Northern Spain we stayed near the village of Ezcaray in the heart of La Rioja. We figured that getting a first hand look at this famous wine region would be a great way to end the long journey. Ezcaray is about 40 minutes via country roads from the town of Haro, which is the historic center of La Rioja. In Haro, you will find the oldest and possibly largest producers in the region: La Rioja Alta, Muga, Lopez de Heredia, and CVNE, to name a few.
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| Unofficial Tour Guide :) |
Historically speaking, the city prospered due to the Great French Wine Blight (phylloxera infestation) which destroyed over 40% of the vineyards in France in the mid to late 1800's. During this time, the French sourced fruit from Spain to supplement their needs. Haro became a convenient spot for these transactions because of it had a railroad stop. The big wineries were founded and established near the railroad station. As demand escalated, the Spaniards took the initiative to learn the French trade. They studied and partnered with many French producers and to some extent will say that through this process they evolved from simple village wines to world class wines.
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| Just some bottles lying around at Lopez de Heredia :) |
Our experience, due to timing and the limitations of our pint-sized companions, was limited to two tours (though fear not, because we made up for it by drinking, um, I mean, sampling as many different wines as possible in restaurants and home in the evenings - some great and some not worth mentioning here). First, we took a two-hour tour at Lopez de Heredia complete with a tasting of three wines (plus some 'jamon') at the end. The tour was excellent and included an overview of the history of the region, founding of the estate, varietals and winemaking techniques, tour of the property, etc... They have their own cooperage, which, for us, was the highlight of the tour.
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| Cooperage at Lopez de Heredia. |
Our second winery visit was a one-hour tour of La Rioja Alta. The tour covered many of the same things as Lopez de Heredia. If you are in the region, you should absolutely take one of these tours. They are offered in english but availability is limited (we took the spanish tours) and provide a great overview of the history of and winemaking in the region. If, however, you are looking for the best producers (not necessarily the most famous), then this is not the way to go. This is your big winery experience similar to visiting Robert Mondavi in Napa Valley.
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| Barrel room at the modern La Rioja Alta winery. |
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| Underground passage at La Rioja Alta. |
La Rioja wines contain some interesting varietals. La Rioja reds ("tintos") are typically blends of four varietals: Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha Tinta, and Mazuelo. They can vary but this is the most common structure. La Rioja whites ("blancos") consist of three varietals; Viura, Malvasia, and Garnacha Blanca. Overall, these wines have tremendous aging capability and price points tend to be very good for older vintages. In fact, I would broadly recommend wines aged at least 5 years. Plus, I would recommend that you decant or open a bottle for a couple of hours before drinking it.
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| mid-range at Lopez de Heredia 75% Tempranillo 15% Granacha Tinta Rest Mazuelo and Graciano still young at 12 years old! |
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| mid-range at La Rioja Alta 95% Tempranillo Oxidized aromas Falls flat at finish :( |
As I mentioned, there are better and more interesting producers in La Rioja. We discovered a true gem while dining at El Portal (Michelin 2-Star) in Ezcaray. I'm not trying to be snooty by providing the star rating. I point it out because the wines we selected from the list were priced at 39eur and 17eur, respectively. Both were recommended by the sommelier based on our request for wines from small, relatively unknown La Rioja producers. He immediately suggested these two winemakers. Amazing juice at great prices in a restaurant that easily could have charged much more!
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| Retails at 32eur 100% Tempranillo 11 months french oak complex cellar worthy Very High QPR 4500 bottles produced |
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| Retails at 14eur 100% Tempranillo 11 months french oak rich and full bodied Very High QPR 3500 bottles produced |
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| Under A Blanket of Dry Leaves all the goodies from the nearby beech forest - mushrooms, truffle, chestnuts, beetroot, cabbage, etc... Plate #8 of 16 at El Portal (Menu 2013) |
