BODEGA
INIESTA
DO
MANCHUELA
introduction – this is January’s Colin Harkness Roving Wine Report, though it
may not seem like it!
I’m sure, that as parents, we’ve all played the role
of taxi driver for our children. When ‘I were a lad up in t’North’ cars were
far fewer than they are now. When about 10 years old my Dad took me to a bike
shop and bought me a second hand ‘Harry Quinn’ racing bike telling me that this
was how I was going to get to school and, as got I older, to everywhere else I
wanted to go. It became my pride and joy as well as my only means of transport.
Times have changed dramatically, of course, and the
‘school run’ has become an established ‘thing’ twice daily clogging up the
roads approaching all the schools of the UK. How different are these roads
outside of school hours and during holiday times! However, I guess (I’m not
sure now, having moved to Spain) there is still a fair amount of traffic around
them on Saturday mornings!
Sports fixtures, choir, orchestra, drama, extra art
and a whole plethora of other activities mean that parents make the same trip. These
taxi runs also occur out of school. We parents are always keen to introduce our
children to various activities – all of the above and more, and therefore we go
searching for clubs, societies, associations etc offering them whichever takes
their, and our, fancy. We like our kids to try these activities initially to
give them interests outside of school, outside of the home; to see which they
enjoy, as well as for social education, making new friends etc.
Often a child will show interest as well as ability in
one of the activities. This will mean selection for matches, concerts,
competitions, gradings, gymkhanas, exhibitions and so on – therefore more
taxiing! Sometimes a child will show particular promise which may mean further
training, coaching and always, more miles on the car’s clock!
Occasionally a rare talent will be discovered, a child
who is outstanding in whichever activity they’d chosen (sometimes even, more
than one activity, causing some anxiety in later having to make a choice!).
From a sports perspective I’ve had plenty of
experience of this, as a parent, but also from the coaching side of things –
specifically in football. A not too successful player, I was a decent coach,
running school teams, and representative teams. I was headhunted by Liverpool
FC and asked to scout junior footballers with potential. What a brilliant
stroke of luck to get the job, but also, a while later, to receive a tip-off
about a certain 10 years old boy playing football – Michael Owen.
We signed Michael and I’ve been delighted to see his
rise in professional football and now in the media. During this time (and at
last to the point of my article this month) I was very aware of the sacrifices
his parents willingly made to take him to all the coaching, training, matches,
trials etc. So, I understand exactly what Señor José Antonio Iniesta and his
family must have gone through in the formative years of one of the world’s best
footballers, Spanish International, Andrés Iniesta.
Andrés’ father worked the vineyards, mostly with
horse, plough and cart, of the local landowner in the small village Fuentealbilla,
not far from the city of Albacete. Papa took him everywhere, including,
eventually to the mecca (well maybe equal mecca?!) of Camp Nou, Barcelona CF,
for trials! A dream they’d all shared from Andrés’ very young childhood was
about to come true.
An unassuming, humble, gentlemanly footballer (words
not often seen together these days?), it doesn’t surprise me at all that on
signing for Barça and having received his considerable signing on fee, Andrés
went back to Fuentealbilla, approached the man for whom his dad had been
working, and bought the land, the finca and the winery, with a view to repaying
in some way for all the taxiing, the costs and the privations they must have
suffered a little in order to put Andrés in such an enviable position. Without
a huge ceremony, something not at all in Andrés’ style, he gifted it to Papa as
his, thus allowing him to make his own wines – another of Señor Iniesta’s
passions, extra to football.
Bodega Iniesta, DO Manchuela was born!
The modern winery was built, designed with the idea of
producing fine but affordable wine. Head Wine Maker was appointed, local staff
were engaged and yours truly visited in 2012, when it was just two years old.
If you have the chance, it’s very well worth a trip for a tour and tasting
which can be arranged by contacting the bodega, www.bodegainiesta.es , where you’ll see a
number of very attractive looking packages.
I remember I got on with the winemaker like a barrel
on fire as he was delighted to meet an English journalist, the first at the
time, a ‘catador’ with, of course, an interest and knowledge of wine as well as
a passion for it too! We tasted several wines at various stages of their
development in barricas and stainless-steel tanks. I was asked my opinion
whilst being told what he was trying to achieve with each different wine.
Fascinating, but in fact we didn’t have time to taste any of the finished
products in bottle. A small problem easily solved – the following week I
received a case, ready for tasting!
I was impressed then with such a young, almost nascent
bodega producing good wines with potential too. I recently saw an article about
Andrés retiring (I think) from playing professionally, in Japan, in fact, and
it reminded me of those wines. I contacted the winery and as swiftly as twelve
years ago some samples arrived on my doorstep!
When you look at the website above, you’ll also see a
list of the wines they are currently selling (actually, at the time of writing,
there are some very attractive looking offers on too!) It’s an impressive
portfolio which includes sparkling wines and has several different categories,
from entry level though to their top wine.
Corazon Loco Blanco is a white wine made from Verdejo
blended with Sauvignon Blanc. It’s an interesting mix, considering that at a
blind tasting if you were presented with a Verdejo, but obviously didn’t know
it, you’d likely be thinking it might be a Sauvignon Blanc, but perhaps from a
colder climate than the New Zealand SBs which are so prevalent in the UK right
now. So, blending SB with Verdejo is like having a cool climate Sauvignon
Blanc, and some!
There are the kiwi, grassy, gooseberry notes we would
expect from an NZ SB (the latter quite faint), with some extra back up vegetal
aroma and flavour including the spritz smelt when a green pepper is sliced. The
wine is fresh, balanced and is a good aperitif wine as well as for simply
drinking on its own, with the Verdejo element making it especially suited to
salads and many vegetarian dishes. A good start.
I’ve said many times that I’m not one of those people
who thinks that, a) Rosé wine is a girls drink (I wouldn’t dare with wife
Claire-Marie Soprano and daughter Rosanna in the house!); and, b) that rosado
is just for Spring and Summer. Yes, like many of us here in Spain, I do like
the refreshing element of rosado when the sun shines and the temperatures climb
and we probably do drink more in the hotter months, but I also like rosado the
rest of the year too. If not yet converted, try rosado in Autumn with vegetable
based dishes, fish and seafood as well and then look for it in Winter when
choosing a similarly coloured fish – trout, salmon and so on. It works, believe
me.
At the end of Autumn, beginning of winter recently I
enjoyed the entry level Bodegas Iniesta Corazon Loco Rosado Bobal. (While I’m
here I’d also like to point out that these wines are made under the DO
Manchuela flag – a Denominación de Origen not so easily found but well worth
the hunt). Made with Bobal, it’s not long left with the skins accounting for
the very pale á la mode colour. Pretty in the glass, with a nice red rose
bright cherry aroma and flavour with some soft red fruits too.
The final wine I tasted (but it won’t be the last
Iniesta wine we have for sure) was the impressive Corazón Loco Selección 2017
an eclectic blend of Syrah, Petit Verdot, Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon.
This wine is drinking perfectly now and at the time of writing is half price at
just 4.75€ – now that’s a bargain! It’s enjoyed it’s twelve months in oak,
American and French and the winemaker has done his job well. The blend of fruit
along with the background oak support make this a full flavoured wine though
not too weighty on the palate.
It’s the avowed aim of the winery to make wines for
the people at prices we can afford. It’s no wonder therefore that this
intention along with the history behind the bodega and its most famous son,
promoted the villagers to erect a huge poster as you enter the town, ‘Iniesta
Siempre Contigo’!
NB Bodega Iniesta www.bodegainiesta.es offers Wine Tourism as
well as Online Sales
Colin Harkness is a Member of the Circle of Wine
Writers, a Features Journalist and a Radio Broadcaster.
Facebook: Colin Harkness
Instagram: @colinharkness53
X (Twitter) @colinonwine
OSCAR MESTRE WINES
JALÓN
Wines have been made in the Alicante Province since Phoenician times. The Romans developed the concept into a commercial enterprise; the Moors (North Africans), perhaps surprisingly given Muslim tea totalism, continued with typical business acumen and zeal. Then, somewhere along the line, the Riko-Mestre family arrived on the scene!
Yes, current incumbent, 31 years old Oscar Mestre can easily trace back his family’s wine business for three generations, when in 1921 the family took the gamble (following phylloxera’s decimation of Europe’s vineyards forcing family members to emigrate to Argentina) of restarting their commercial wine business. Indeed, if Oscar was so inclined he could do some further family tree digging and probably find that winemaking has been in the family’s DNA for up to 8 generations!
However, he hasn’t got time! Oscar is a very focussed, passionate young man who, after a lengthy apprenticeship working in all of the different positions in the family’s very well-established Bodegas Riko, has had his father’s blessing to start his own enterprise. We’ve visited, toured, tasted and chatted – an estimated hour and a half, ended up being a visit of over 4 hours – and it’s clear to me that here is a young guy who is going places!
Rather than continue in the family’s successful bulk wine business, which includes the retail outlet, well known to many a Jalón local and visitor (of which there are many because of the popular weekend Rastro and traditional farmers’ market), Oscar decided to up the ante. His entry level wine, a well-chosen blend of local darling variety Giró, providing the lion’s share, and internationally famous, originally French, Syrah, retails for about 10 Euros. Not at all expensive, but a considerable jump from the shop’s pour-your-own barrel stored wine. Oscar’s current top wine sells well at about 25 Euros (but keep your eyes out for at least one addition to the portfolio which will top this, in terms of its price, perhaps reaching 40 Euros).
In order to reach this stage – his own nascent business and establishing himself as a renowned winemaker, not just locally, but nationally and slowly internationally – he has put himself through arduous training. In common with many of the new generation of Spanish winemakers he has had the benefit of a long history of family winemaking, therefore the opportunity to learn from his forbears.
Plus, he has travelled extensively in Spain working others’ harvests, as well as international travel doing the same. He sets aside a certain amount of his profits for the purchase of wines he feels he needs to taste; he reads extensively; and he has worked with others learning from them, including the internationally famous near neighbour, Pepe Mendoza, for whom we share the utmost respect.
Putting all this together Oscar went to see the family’s parcellas, small vineyards, assessing which grapes he considered best for his wines, as well as those of friends and neighbours, whose vineyards he now works. A strong believer in tradition as well as the high quality they can provide, he’s looking predominately for old, local varieties, Giró, Moscatel, Merseguera and the very rare Trepadell for example. Vines that have established themselves in the area for hundreds of years. His vines where the Jalón/Llíber valley levels out, grow in soils very different from his vineyards clinging to the sides of the mountains rising above; different again from his small parcella discovered at 1,000+ metres above sea level in a small valley sheltered by the peaks!
Needless to say, the wines coming from these distinct areas will all taste slightly different, so, blending the different styles comes into play. This is the great skill of a fine wine maker. It’s true that good wine is made in the vineyard – the old homily attempting to explain that what happens in the vineyard is the most important part of winemaking. However, the winemakers’, albeit low intervention, will contribute to the excellence of the finished product. I’m pleased to say that Oscar, believes, as do I, in recognising that different vintages will provide necessarily slightly different wines, because of the different growing conditions in terms of each year’s weather.
And speaking of wine – here are my thoughts on the several that we tasted, and certainly enjoyed. A word of caution, though – the production is limited, 30,000 bottles a year, so buy as soon as you can!
First out of the trap was a white blend including Moscatel and what he believes to be Giró Blanc. I thought it a great start – with apricot and lemon zest fruit, some menthol and fennel aromas with mineral notes and a touch of Mediterranean salinity, retailing at about 10 Euros. I’ll be buying this again, for sure.
Next was a monovarietal using venerable, 90 year old Moscatel vines made in a slightly ‘orange wine’ style – a very good introduction to the style. Readers will know that such old vines produce fewer bunches but they are often far richer. Resulting wines are fuller on the palate anyway, and using this method, coupled with fermentation below a veil of yeast, ensuring less oxygen, make a deep, complex wine that retains fresh acidity and pairs so well with a variety of dishes. Another hit!
Trepadell was often grown in the same vineyard as red Giró and used in a blend to bring down the high alcohol expected from Giró and to increase the ‘clarete’ style’s acidity. Interestingly, Oscar thinks that Trepadell may be the future of white wine coming from the valley due to the difficulty Moscatel has with climate change. This year, for example, a 90% loss of harvested Moscatel was reported, due almost entirely to the long drought, which of course preceded the dreadful deluge of but a couple of months later.
Our final white wine was made entirely with Giró Blanc – don’t bother looking up this variety, you won’t find it! Oscar has discovered a vineyard, in a secret location for obvious reasons, that is home to vines that are different to any others in the area. He believes it may be a ‘new’ variety, a natural off-shoot of Giró red, as happened in Rioja with Tempranillo. Testing and analysis are currently being undertaken – Oscar, and ourselves wait with mounting excitement!
If not, it’s likely to be an unusual Garnacha Blanca – but, no matter, really, as the wine is lovely! It’s had a little time in oak to give extra depth and some complexity, though the fruit remains at the forefront. Don’t forget Oscar is a fine wine maker and won’t make the mistake of the Californians and Aussies of the last generation whose use of oak obscured the fruit almost completely!
Onto the reds and here it’s a good time to say that Oscar puts exactly the same effort, planning thought etc into his whites as he does with his reds. This has not always been the case here in Spain. Exhibit A – Rioja whites of 10+ years ago and their world famous reds. Thankfully that Rioja error has been and is being corrected nowadays. I’ve been saying increasingly over the last, perhaps, ten years that Spanish white wines are now amongst some of the world’s best.
His entry level red is a Giró/Syrah blend, though mostly local variety Giró. Renaix de Giró is a very good wine indeed for its low price. Perfectly balanced between good fruit content, soft tannin and fresh acidity with dark fruit, blackberry, plum perhaps damson too. A little earthiness bringing to mind autumnal aromas as well as some dried local mountain herbs and just a touch of spice.
Wine number six was a Giró monovarietal 2021 which has had 12 months in two and three years old 500 litre barricas. Another lovely wine, stepping up in quality and price at around the 20 – 25 Euros mark. Dark fruits with some lighter loganberry fruit too. Again there’s a harmony between acidity, fruit and tannin with the latter making a firmer presence here, meaning a more subtle wine made for a fine dining table. A good length of finish too.
Finally, Oscar’s top wine thus far, perhaps best described as his Grand Cru! We tasted a cask sample, taken from the barrel as we watched, almost holding our breath. Lightly coloured, full and rounded on the palate exhibiting, again, perfect balance. It’s rich, subtle, elegant and well – even though not yet bottled (at the time of tasting), quite stunning!
*You can find Oscar Mestre wines on Facebook and of course at Bodegas Riko, Jalón.
BODEGAS MONTESANCO
TEULADA’S BRAND NEW, SIXTY YEARS OLD BODEGA!
The sun had risen into a beautiful, azure coloured sky but a couple of hours before my arrival at Bodegas Montesanco just outside the quiet Marina Alta town, Teulada. I was early. The place was only just opening, however, neither Spanish co-owner, Mariá, nor Dutch receptionist, Denise were at all fazed. Their smiling welcome was like another sun rising – I felt instantly warmed and at home.
My interview with María was continually punctuated by interjections from myself – I hope I wasn’t too annoying, it’s just that the Montesanco story is so fascinating. Unlike almost all the many bodega owners I’ve met over the last 30 years, María is first generation winery owner. Usually in Spain, bodega owners have inherited their wineries from their parents, who had done the same from theirs and so on.
Wine making and bodega ownership is almost always a family thing. Sometimes, a son, or daughter these days, of course, will start in the family business, learning the ropes, but eventually follow their own course, starting a new bodega, almost always with the approval of their family. However, in María’s case there was no family history of wine making – she started, I was delighted to hear, because she liked wine!
This is normally the way that the rest of us, the hangers-on to the wine trade, start. The writers, the media folk, the wholesalers, the merchants etc start in the business because we like wine. This is certainly the case with myself, with the added incentive of opening a restaurant over thirty years ago and the need to be different to the others in the area. I liked wine, so why not lean more about it and have an advantage over the opposition?
María decided to study winemaking at university. She attracted interest because of her ability, her passion and her desire to get her boots muddy and her hands dirty – making wine. Backed by a small group of business people she took over the Bodega Aranleon in the Utiel-Requena area thirty years ago. Enter, Paco!
María met Paco (good title for a film, no?) during this time. Paco, from a farming family, Valencian oranges in fact, also had no winemaking in his background. However he was similarly imbued with a passion for the land and what it could grow – together they would make a great team.
One day, when touring the vineyards in Utiel-Requena they came across an ancient vineyard they’d seen but never really considered. It was home to centenarian vines, a little overrun, untended and certainly low yielding. However, when tasting the grapes they were overawed by the quality and richness of the juice. Might it be a possibility to make an exclusive wine from just this plot? It surely wouldn’t be commercial, with about a kilo of grapes only from each vine and not that many vines either?
Well, later in the morning of my visit I tasted the fruits of their endeavour, their gamble – and it has certainly paid off. However, I’m getting ahead of myself!
Bodegas Montesanco was established in Utiel-Requena and became successful in an area already making fine wine. I’ve been many times to this Denominación de Origen visiting several bodegas whose red, terracotta coloured soils were producing some excellent wines. In those days Montesanco was probably just a thought, just an idea, an ultimate goal. However, its rapid success led María and Paco to thoughts of expanding, leading them eventually to a 20 hectare plot in the rolling hills outside Teulada.
Bodegas Montesanco, Teulada, was born. The road connecting the countryside with the town and the nearby urbinisation of Les Fonts is called Camí Abiar – indicative of an unknown, at the time, huge piece of fortune for our two entrepreneurs. In these days and unfortunately going into the future too, climate change is a real worry to everyone. Living in Spain, as well as so many other areas of the world, the lack of water is always going to be a major concern. Crops need water, of course, and this includes grape vines.
Abiar is the Valenciano name for fountains! Yes, under the earth that they purchased there are underground springs. The 60 years old Moscatel vines that are planted already on four hectares of the total 20, as well as the 7 hectares of new plantings (local Giró and Garnacha Blanca) are not going to be without water! Bodegas Montesanco is here for the long haul!
It’s a considerable project. Mariá is also an astute businesswoman (probably Paco too, but I’ve yet to meet him). These days bodegas are not just about wine – odd though that sounds. I remember when I first started my small Travel Agency here, Tin Lizzie Tours, my request to bring people by coach to visit the wineries I was visiting for my wine work, was greeted by rather blank faces.
Wine tourism wasn’t at all a thing, almost universally around Spain. These days Enoturismo is a major part of most bodegas, providing much needed revenues for investment and cash flow. Think how long a winery has to wait before it receives any income for the its top wines which may stay in barrel for years before release! I’ve been delighted to watch Spanish wine tourism grow.
I’ll be delighted also, I’m sure, when I take part in some of the events organised by Bodegas Montesanco, Teulada. There are various tours and tastings, of course, available here. Visitors can view the area where the old grapes were dried before export, when raisons were the big ‘industry’ in this part of the Costa Blanca. There is a hike through the vineyards and pine woods on the estate. There are spectacular gourmet dinners, paired with estate wines, of course. And lots more. It’s such an enterprising project – you really must visit!
Plus, claro, there are also the wines!
María suggested an order for me to taste their wines, their whole portfolio, including those made in Utiel´Requena, which was most welcome – as they, as yet, make only one wine in Teulada! The Món Moscatel 2022 is the first wine to be made at Bodegas Montesanco, Teulada. Crafted from the 60 years old vines which were the only ones left on the property when they acquired it, this wine is one of the best examples of the darling grape of the area.
There’s a remarkable aroma of yellow grapefruit immediately escaping the bottle as the cork is pulled. This is a big plus for me – firstly, I love it when I smell grapefruit on some white wines; secondly because it’s not a common aroma for the Moscatel variety. Then, coming to join the fruit party, there’s a distinctive fresh green grape fragrance too.
Though it shouldn’t be, this is actually quite unusual! Wine is made from grapes, after all, but as we know, it rarely smells or tastes of grapes. The natural chemical reaction that occurs when yeast ferments grape juice throws off various different smells – different fruit, flowers, fresh veg and so on, but vary rarely the fruit from which it is made.
I also detected a very faint salinity to the wine – explained to me by María because of the east facing vineyards and their proximity to the Bay of Javea, and of course its sea spray! Finally, on the nose, the earth in which the vines sit makes its mark – fennel grows wild here, and its presence in the overall smell of the wines is certainly noticeable.
On the palate – all of the above plus a richness from such old vines and a wonderful, fresh and dry quality that it going to make this wine the envy of many dry Moscatels! A great start to my tasting and an incentive for the other wines yet to made here at Montesanco, Teulada. Follow that!
Well María did follow it with another glorious wine – this time a Cava! Many readers will know that Cava can only be made in four different regions of Spain – the Teulada area isn’t one of them! However, you’ve guessed it of course, Requena is. So this next wine is from the Utiel-Reguena bodega – and it’s outstanding! If anyone ever tells you that it’s only Cataluña that can make the best Cava, show them this!
Brut Nature Reserva with some 40 months on its lees Món Cava is made from very old, pre-phylloxera Macabeo grapes. There are only 3,780 bottles made so I consider myself privileged to have been able to taste one – make no mistake this will sell out!
Initially shy on the nose, it’s the golden colour that invites you to taste. You might think it a sparkling Californian Chardonnay, or a venerable Blanc de Blanc Champagne before you sip and hold it on the palate. It’s rich, yet the driest style of sparkling wine, with only 0 – 3 grams of sugar per litre. It has presence and stays on the palate for a long time after swallowing. Stewed apples flavour, with a fullness, yet freshness to be admired. Best sparkler I’ve tasted this year!
It’s Macabeo again for the next wine, another dry white of course, the 2022 vintage. Served well chilled, this is also a little shy on the nose, but soon opens slightly, revealing a pleasant white flower perfume, with some fresh citrus coming through too. The wine has promise. On the palate there is exotic fruit, a little mango, white peach and very slight papaya, though there’s not any of Macabeo’s typical calling card, fresh apple acidity – yet. The time left on its lees and the regular stirring adds a slight creamy feel and flavour. Just as you’re about to swallow, having held the wine on the palate for a time, there’s that slight stewed apple coming through. Good length, thought provoking finish.
Tempranillo is one of the two red wines that Bodegas Montesanco makes in Utiel-Requena. The vineyards for this wine are over 700 metres above sea-level, at this altitude the vines have some respite from the heat of the day. In the glass the 2020 vintage shines at you – it’s a lovely colour. The 60 years old vines are producing some luscious grapes, the wine is aged in French oak for 12 months, but you wouldn’t know it. This wine is a super fruit driven ride with violets on the nose, a blend of red and black fruits on the palate with back up from a slight balsamic note. It’s balanced, finishes well and well worth its 16.50€ price tag.
Finally the wine that really knocked by socks off! Món Bobal Centenario is, as the name suggests, made from 100 years old vines growing in the plot I mentioned early. In the glass it’s a very dark, black cherry colour with dark red roses happily contributing to the cherry aroma. Dark yes, but there’s nothing brooding about this wine – it’s a wonderful mouthful of glorious fruit with inconspicuous backing from the 12 months it’s had in French oak.
This wine is surely a candidate for your very special occasion – Christmas, Anniversary, you name it, Món Bobal Centenario is going to grace any table. 29€ buys you a superb red wine that is truly drinking perfectly right now!
Bodegas Montesanco can be contacted here: vinos@montesanco.com