Brandon's Trip to Spain - June 2011, Part 4

All of our managers and wine staff travel at least once a year to a wine-growing region somewhere throughout the world. Traveling is one of the many aspects of Joe Canal’s that sets us apart from other wine shops. We know that by meeting the winemakers, walking the vineyards and tasting new wine from the barrel, we can see first-hand the passion that goes into each bottle. We can then convey this commitment to quality to our customers. Rather than having you just looking at a label and a score, we believe it is our responsibility to bring you closer to how the wine was made and the people who made it. We'll be sharing their trip reports with you here on the BottleBlog.

In June 2011, Brandon Bartfalvi, Wine Manager of the Lawrenceville store had the privilege of traveling to Spain and immersing himself in Spanish food, culture, and most importantly, wine! Here is the fourth and final installment of Brandon's trip.

DAY FOUR: MADRID.... SAY NO MORE

This was our day to take in the culture and sights of Madrid. So much to do and so little time. We traveled as a group and decided to check out some of the sites around our hotel. After visiting a few churches to look at the architecture we made our way to the Mercado de San Miguel. This local market is surrounded by numerous restaurants and by this point we were starving so we chose a random one and just relaxed at the outside tables. The best part of Madrid is the endless supply of tapas, mmmmmmmmmm! We chose some great dishes and sat back and watched the world pass by (what a life!).

After lunch we took a stroll to one of the main squares and ate more tapas. Pretty much we spent the day wandering thourgh the streets and visiting as many tapas bars as possible. We also had to sample quite a few of the local beverages too (they had sweet vermouth on tap!). We spent the night visiting several different drinking establishments to see what the night life was like but thats a story for another time...

DAY FIVE: THE PARTY IS ALMOST OVER... OH WAIT, ONE MORE WINERY TO GO

THE WINERY: Castelo de Medina. The Winery (founded in 1996), with its own venerable vineyards and cutting-edge technology, boasts a wide range of wines – white, rosé and red – all prestigious in National and International markets.

The vineyards cover 190 hectares, of which 160 correspond to white grapes (Verdejo, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Viura) and 30 to red varietals (Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Garnacha and Syrah).
 
The Winery is built in traditional Castilian architectural style: face brick, stone, wrought iron and wood. It has advanced technological equipment, ideal for a modern, high-quality elaboration, while maintaining the traditional principles of the area. We have immersed ourselves in continuous R+D+I programmes (Research, Development and Innovation).

MY DAY: We left our hotel early Sunday morning and made our way to Rueda to visit Castelo de Medina. It had been pretty warm all week but the temperature dropped into the fifties and the wind gusts were extraordinarily strong here in Rueda. We made our way to our hotel to drop off our luggage before we started to the winery. One of the owners of the winery met us at the hotel and we all had a quick drink then it was off to the winery. At the winery we were greeted by the technical director (who, like the owner, spoke little to no English) and he ended up being one of the funniest gentleman I have ever met. Throughout the day, he just kept making funny observations and always had a quick joke to tell (all translated for me of course).

We started the tour by driving through the vineyards to one of the highest points of elevation on their property. I couldn't believe how much property they owned but here it was. We stood on a bridge overlooking the property while strong winds kept threatening to blow me over the side (I'm tall but I don't weigh much). The owner and the technical director explained their philosophies and technical aspects but they sensed it was too chilly to stand out there so we hopped back in the trucks and headed for the winery. We went for a quick tour inside the winery and saw a few innovative machines that the company had invested in but the best part was yet to come: wine tasting.

We went upstairs to the tasting room and were greeted by a table filled with local cheeses and dried meats. Perfect foods to provide energy to warm us back up. After a quick snack we dove into the wines. We tasted through several white wines (Verdejo, Viura, Sauvignon Blanc) that were clean, crisp and remarkably well-done for the meager prices they were offered at. We even tasted an older white wine that held up very well and may be even better than the newer vintage. We ended the tasting with their higher end red blend that delivered a lot of flavor and personality. All in all, I was very pleased with the wines and I think this is a winery to keep an eye on in the future.

I would be remiss in not mentioning the wonderful restaurant we visited after the tour. The food was unbelievable! The lamb was tender and moist but the highlight was the baby suckling pig. The skin was crisp and brown while the meat inside was cooked to perfection. If only I could find food like this by my house. It's worth the trip to Spain just to indulge in the food!

WINE TO LOOK FOR: VEGA DEL PAS RUEDA
WINES YOU MAY SEE SOON: VEGA DEL PAS VERDEJO, VEGA DEL PAS SAUVIGNON