Thanks to Easyet, our most recent visit to Spain began with delays and an eventual check in to a Madrid hotel at 1am. Undeterred by lack of sleep, we ventured forth into the unseasonal Spanish warmth, set for a drive down to Manzanares in the heart of the La Mancha region.
Forget the old image of tired, oxidised, over oaked reds and wishy washy neutral whites, our partners in La Mancha run a great operation with access to a wide range of international varietals along with the indigenous classics. Sales from this region have exploded for us this year as consumers search for great value and style.....
Tastings done and lunch devoured we set off for a long drive north to Calatayud where we rested up for the night. The next day we set off for Rioja and Navarra with some serious objectives in mind. First stop was at the charming Finca Manzanos where their ambitious winery and hotel project is just about reaching its conclusion. It's always surprising to see just how ambitious this project is but I look forward to (maybe) staying there next time.
In Navarra, Finca Lasierpe showed a range of flawless, joven wines from the new 2009 vintage and one couldn't help but think that Garnacha nouveau could be the next big thing. Big, juicy, soft and oh so drinkable.....Rosana the winemaker is doing a great job here....
2009 looks like being an excellent year in Rioja and where better to show off the best of the region than at our two stars of the region, Remelluri and Luis Canas. Remelluri is always spell binding - one of the most atmospheric wineries anywhere with superb, marginal vineyards and one of the most exciting whites in the region. Inspired by the mischeivous Jaime Rodriguez, who joined us for lunch, Remelluri was the first single estate Rioja producer and remains one of the most special.
Luis Canas have emerged as one of Spain's most important producers in the last 10 years and this is in the main due to the work of Juan Luis, the son of Luis Canas. With his modest yet deeply passionate approach, Juan Luis has tirelessly worked to improve quality through investments in vineyards and winery practices - not by building huge egotistical buildings. It was nice to see this time that now he has had time to invest a little in the front end and we were warmly welcomed into the new accommodation he has for guests and friends of the winery - this is going to be a very popular place to visit in 2010 as the standard of accommodation is superb - and of course there is no shortage of wine on site!
Over an emotional tasting, Juan Luis explianed why he had decided to launch a new and entirely separate range of wines under the name Amaren. In honour of his mother, Angeles, this new range consists of a superb, textural white and three awesome reds that are going to wow the UK - we look forward to getting them in stock early in 2010.....
Rioja is always a joy to visit - my first love when it comes to wine regions and post harvest, the reds, deep yellows and purples of the spent vines is a deeply reassuring sight.....
And all of this with no mention of the recession - well,quite a lot of mention of the recession actually as Spain appears to be suffering equally as bad as us. We're all in it together I guess so nothing for it but to keep drinking the Rioja.....
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