To quote from Jan Read’s book “Wines of Spain”- Since the time of Sir Francis Drake Spain has been known first and formost for sherry. Until recently, the image was of sturdy (though often drinkable) plunk. The Spaniard much prefers quantity to quality and loves flavor less than he hates trouble. Better wines were available, like those from Rioja, but they were drunk mainly on special occasions. During the last dozen years there has been an increasing realization among the younger winery owners that Spain’s future as a wine producer lies in quality. With the help of modern technology Spain is now producing characterful and individual growths. Perhaps no other country in Europe makes wine in such a variety of styles. The future looks bright for the Spanish wine industry.
In late Spring I was invited to Vinoelite, the first wine exhibit (100 exhibitors and over 5,000 trade visitors) sponsored by IVEX, the economic arm for all products in the Valencia region. By the time you read this story the winner of the 32nd America’s Cup will have been decided. Not since 1851 has Europe hosted this venerable race which is the oldest active trophy in international sports, predating the modern Olympics by 45 years. In 2003 the Swiss boat defeated the New Zealand entry, in New Zealand. Not having an ocean, Switzerland opened up for bidding the location of their defense of the cup. Valencia won with an investment of over $235 million on a new harbor, a marina for 640 boats, docks, beaches, storage facilities, restaurants, entertainment venues and spectator comforts befitting the over 2 million people who are expected in Valencia to view the races. The “golden age” of Valencia began a few years ago with the opening of the Hemispheric and its eye-shaped planetarium and IMAX theatre surrounded by a rectangle of water. The nearby City of Arts & Sciences is the largest cultural and leisure complex in Europe and contains a science museum, botanical gardens, planetarium, Marine Park (Europe’s largest aquarium) and opera house that rival Sydney’s in looks. It was designed by Valencia- born architect Santiago Calatrava who is also the architect for the new Path station being built at NYC’s World Trade Center area. There is also a new Valencia Trade & Exhibition Center (Vinoelite took place here) with several multi-level buildings containing space for meetings, food service and trade shows. All of these architectural wonders did for Valencia what the Olympics did for Barcelona and the Guggenheim did for Bilbao.
There are 17 regions/provinces in Spain and Valencia’s GNP is 12% of all of Spain. Think Valencia oranges, Paella Valenciana, rice, wine, tourism and construction. The port is one of the busiest in Spain and handles 20% of the country’s exports. I was hard pressed to name a single wine from Valencia before attending Vinoelite. Some of the grape varieties planted in this region along the Mediterranean coast, south of Barcelona, may be unfamiliar. They include: Red- Garnacha (Grenache), Monsatrell (Mourvedre), Bobal & Tempranillo. Whites- Malvasia, Macabeo & Moscatel. Yes, there are plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon but I was interested in the native varieties. After visiting half a dozen wineries and tasting more than 50 wines my conclusion is- “the wines range from good to superb but very few have found US importers. Or, if they have, they are niche importers often covering just a few states.” Our group also tasted wines from Utiel-Requena, a region situated in the province of Valencia and from Alicante, a wine region located south of Valencia. I have not listed any of the wineries because it will be frustrating trying to find them in wine shops. That should change within a year. I have listed the names of two major importers of the wines I did taste.
The seminars and tastings were the best thing about the show. I attended a fabulous tasting given by The Family Owned Wineries (Primum Familiae Vini), 11 wineries that are in private hands and include Antinori, Egon Muller, Mouton Rothschild, Torres, Vega Sicilia, Drouhin, Hugel and Pol Roger Champagne. Since Robert Mondavi sold his winery there is no longer a US member. There were also 30 Masters of Wine present as part of their tour of Spain. Invited press (airfare, hotel, winery visits, sightseeing and most meals were complimentary) included importers, sommeliers and wine writers from Poland, Mexico, China, US etc.
Ribero de Duero, Rueda, Priorat, Toro, Navarra are new names in the Spanish wine scene. And then, there is the old standby- Rioja, located in north central Spain. My first trip was in 1964 while I lived and worked in Bordeaux. In 1977 there was a huge press trip to Jerez and then to Rioja. In the late 1990’s there was a small press trip only to Rioja and here I am in 2007. The kind folks from IVEX were happy to route my return trip to the US through Madrid so I could spend 4 days in Rioja, after the finish of Vinoelite. The Rioja Wine Bureau arranged my flight to Bilbao, my hotel stays and winery visits and got me back to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim Museum before returning home to the US. The region is just south of Basque country in north-central Spain and is named after the river Rio Oja. The red grape of note is Tempranillo as well as Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo. For white wines there are Viura, Malvasia and Garnacha Blanca. I wanted to know what Rioja was doing to reinforce its position as Spain’s number one wine region. My conclusions were more fruit forward wines, single vineyards, estate wines and cleaner, crisper white wines. Red wines are labeled as Crianza (12 months in barrel with “several months” aging in the bottle), Reserva (3 years aging with at least one year in barrel) and my favorite, Gran Reserva (24 months aging in barrel and 36 months in the bottle before release). The grape of note here is Tempranillo. There are three sub-regions with the most important being Rioja Alta; Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Baja are the other two. Rioja wines are normally a blend of various grape varieties, and can be either red (tinto & 85% of production), white (blanco)) or rose (rosado).
If you can possibly get a reservation at the Marqués de Riscal Hotel, operated by Starwood as part of their Luxury Collection, grab it. Designed by renowned architect Frank O. Gehry, it is his second masterpiece in Spain, along with the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. With just 43 rooms, this is a tough ticket. It is a part of the City of Wine complex, with the winery only a hundred feet away. I recommend dinner in the Marques de Riscal restaurant with its 7 course Basque-Riojan tasting menu, with wine. The wine list features a selection of waters of the world (9 countries); 30 wines by the glass; 11 Riscal wines, 15 other Riojas, 10 other Spanish, 24 wines from Bordeaux, 4 from Burgundy and 5 champagnes. A bridge connects the main building to more rooms and the Vinotherapie Spa featuring wine therapy treatments, a fitness center, Jacuzzi, indoor pool and steam room.
I also visited the Dinastia Vivanco Wine Museum (El Museo de la Cultura del Vino) which is privately owned and includes a visit to their bodega. The 3,000 model corkscrew collection alone is worth the price of admission. Rioja is learning from many other countries and wine regions by erecting wine route signs.
My trip proved to me that you can teach “old dog’s new tricks” and make it work. Congratulations Valencia and Rioja, I look forward to my next trip.
For More Information and to find importers go to:
www.winesfromspain.com
www.riojawine.com
www.blameitonrioja.com
www.vibrantrioja.com
www.ivex.es
www.finewinesfromspain.com
www.shaw-ross.com
www.wjdeutsch.com
www.classicalwines.com
www.europviniberia.com
www.grapesofspain.com
www.europeancellars.com
www.oleimports.com
www.globalwineimports.com
www.pernod-ricard.com
