Land and perfect weather, quality raw material and a lot of care ¿How can Rueda wines not be so delicious?? ¡I will tell you about my experience discovering its Denomination of Origin
Last weekend I was lucky enough to attend a press trip organized by the Rueda to know the process of obtaining its wines and wineries strict standards of D.O.Rueda continue to be part of that regulatory body and give the consumer the best quality. It was a experience educational and capable of making me appreciate how behind a great product there is always great dedication. Throughout the weekend off could know several wineries, attend the grape harvest (vintage) night and paired with excellent meals which has helped me to understand not only the effort behind the making of this white wine but also its taste and gastronomic capabilities.
Our route D.O.Rueda
Following from Madrid, We went straight to the village of Rueda (to know, in its center, Regulatory Council building; an old school converted into a space where the wine becomes king). He received us Santiago Mora, D.O.Rueda director and Arancha Zamácola, responsible for communication and marketing. We explained the functionality of the board, the process followed wineries and wine to be included, tasting phases to ensure the quality of the associated products and lots of details of the production area'll tell you later.
After that we headed to the Bodega Valdecuevas where we met the machinery needed to process the wine once harvested grapes and musts and alcoholics tried different processes to enjoy an exclusive tasting where tastes and smells mingled with a dreamlike view. It would be the first tasting of many that made the weekend.
¿What would I have to look at JUST ON THE OTHER side of what they were explaining to us??
From there we went to the winery Finca Montepedroso, where the grape ripening process was explained to us and we learned to taste wines from different vintages – ¡because if, white wine can also have different vintages, not only you have to take ipso facto! – Surprised by the imposing architecture, We ate a delicious roast paired with Verdejo looking at the vineyards.
Our next stop was the visit to the Menade vineyard. proudly named one organic winery, there we explain how it is possible to produce wine caring for the environment and surprised us with a serie methods to improve not only the quality of their crops, but also the environment, such as the curious "insect hotels” to promote beneficial flora and fauna for grape ripening.
Here you can see a gallery with some pictures of the wineries and vineyards we visited.
After a break in the hotel Valladolid, we dined in the restaurant Gabi Garcia ¡Of course watering everything with Wheels adapted to each dish based on their smell, acidity and alcoholic! ¡There was something for all tastes! And we went to the nocturnal grape harvest – What do I tell you in the next paragraph?.
The next day we visited the winery Campo Eliseo. One of the most traditional and whose particularity is that the wine rests in apothecary to 12 meters underground, rescued some passages in the classical tradition in which under each house place a small private winery was. An impressive site that recreates the exact conditions as traditionally made wine.
harvest Night
In addition to knowing these wineries, Our main mission was to experience firsthand the Verdejo grape harvesting, que, how do you know – and if I don't tell you – It is done overnight when the temperature is lower to avoid breaking the cold chain and thus preserving its properties, flavor and acidity. So after dinner on Saturday, We turn to Vines Winery Heirs of Marqués de Riscal where we saw how technology magic does not detract from the process of picking grapes, but it applies to get the best of it.
Here I leave a video which shows perfectly.
¿How the night harvest is carried out? big “trucks” with a space inside, they shake the vines until the grapes – just the ones that are at their exact point of maturation – are detached and stored on the same. From there, directly to the cellar, where they are cleared and automatically starts pressing, processing the different parts (juice, seeds, etc,) and its distribution in large silos to start the corresponding fermentation each wine.
Curiosities Verdejo and D.O.Rueda
During these days I discovered many interesting facts about white wine, Verdejo grape and D.O.Rueda I would like to share with you:
- Verdejo grape is present in the area since the tenth century because of the perfect climate of the area (hot days and very cool nights).
- Verdejo grape wine was one of the oficinales wines court of the Catholic Monarchs.
- The D.O.Rueda absolutely controls the entire process to ensure wine quality ( culture, vintage, elaboration, crianza, against labeling and subsequent monitoring)
- En 2016 They were sold over 85 million bottles of D.O.Rueda
- The Rueda wine is better conversion rate market, es decir, It is the wine that most people repeated after trying for the first time.
Como veis, It is an exciting world and shows us that this wine is increasingly interested in the Spanish public is becoming an essential part of our cuisine. Throughout the day I could try different brands of the wine and I assure you that it fits perfectly with all kinds of food, even with cutting-edge food La Botica de Matapozuelos, the magnificent restaurant with a Michelin star we ate before returning to Madrid. ¡So don't be prejudiced and ask for D.O.Rueda wine when you feel like it, It not when socially says "sticking"!
