Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller with Winemaker Yolanda Viadero from Valduero Vineyards in Ribera del Duero and in Toro, Spain, at Twisted Vines on Columbia Pike in Arlington, Virginia.Yolanda Viadero was in town and I had the opportunity to meet her and taste her Bodegas Valduero wines at Twisted Wines on Columbia Pike in Arlington, Virginia.
Wine Producer Spain
Located on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has over 1 million hectares of vineyard land planted. It is with Italy and France in the leading trio of wine producing nations in the world. Wine making in Spain began many centuries ago, even long before the Romans came. Spain’s reputation entering the 21st century was that of a serious wine producing country that could compete with other producers in the world wine market.
Spanish wines are classified according a five-tier system, which, starting from the bottom, comprises: (1) Vino de Mesa (VdM - Table wine). (2) Vinos de la Tierra (VdlT - Similar to France's vin de pays system). (3) Vino de Calidad Producido en Región Determinada (VCPRD - similar to France's Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS) system). (4) Denominación de Origen (DO - This level is for the mainstream quality wine regions. Nearly two thirds of the total vineyard area in Spain is within the boundaries a DO region). (5) Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa - A step above DO level, given to only 3 regions so far: Rioja in 1991, Priorat in 2003, and Ribera del Duero in 2008).
Picture: The Wine Regions of SpainThe four most common aging designations on Spanish wine labels are Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva. (1) Joven are easy-drinking wines with little or new barrel or bottle aging. (2) Crianza red wines are aged for 2 years with at least 6 months in oak.(3) Reserva red wines are aged for at least 3 years with at least 1 year in oak. (4) Gran Reserva wines typically appear in above average vintages with the red wines requiring at least 5 years aging, 18 months of which in oak.
Major Spanish wine regions include the 3 DOCa regions Rioja, the Priorat and Ribera del Duero; Jerez, the home of the fortified wine Sherry; Rías Baixas in the northwest region of Galicia that is known for its white wines made from Albariño and Catalonia which is the home of the sparkling wine Cava.
Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Washington DC Star Photographer and Wine Lover Jake McGuireThe country has an abundance of native grape varieties, with over 600 varieties planted throughout Spain though 80 percent of the country's wine production is from only 20 grapes. Tempranillo is the second most widely planted grape and is an important grape in the Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Penedès regions. The most widely planted grape is the white wine grape Airén, served as the base for Spanish brandy.
Sherry is a fortified wine produced in southern Spain. It can either be sweet or dry, unlike Port. Port wine is made sweet by adding alcohol to the fermenting must so the fermentation stops and the sugar of the grapes remains in the wine. What you get is a wine with lots of alcohol and remaining sweetness in the wine. Sherry, on the other hand, is made by letting the fermentation go its full way so that a dry wine emerges. Then, alcohol is added to boost the alcohol level. If the winemaker stops there, you get a dry Sherry. If he also adds sterilized juice, you get a sweet Sherry. Thus, Sherry can be sweet or dry.
Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine made in the traditional method of the Champagne. Mostly, white grape varieties like Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel•lo are used for Cava, though some producers are experimenting with the use of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
D.O. Ribera del Duero and D.O. Toro
Bodegas Valduero makes wine in 2 regions, which are about 100 km apart from each other - the Ribera del Duero and the Toro regions. Ribera del Duero is one of the wine-producing regions along the Duero river. The region is characterized by a largely flat, rocky terrain. Ribera del Duero is home to the Vega Sicilia - Spain's perhaps most notable winery - and one of the 3 wine regions in Spain that have achieved DOCa status, with Rioja and Priorat. This is a big change compared with the early eighties, when Ribera del Duero was relatively unknown outside of Spain (and Rioja was still commanding all the attention). The main grape variety in Ribera del Duero is Tempranillo, referred to locally as Tinto Fino. Toro is formed by 17 villages, west of Ribera del Duero, with 8000 hectares under vines. Toro has become famous for big blockbuster reds. Many see Toro as Spain’s new value-for-money region.
Bodegas Valduero in Ribera del Duero
The history of Bodegas Valduero starts in 1984, when the Garcia Viadero family established a winery in the Ribera del Duero region. “Before 1984, we had a little wine cellar to make wine for us and some relatives. When I finished university, my father one day suggested to establish a real winery” Yolanda said. It was one of the first wineries in Ribera del Duero.
Pictures: Winemaker Yolanda Viadero from Valduero Vineyards in Ribera del Duero and in Toro, Spain, at Twisted VinesBodegas Valduero in Ribera del Duero produces premium wines - Crianzas, Reservas and Gran Reservas – on a vineyard area totaling 200 hectares. All the wines are single varietal – Tempranillo – wines. The Crianza - aged for 14 months in oak and more than a year in bottle - is produced every year. The Reserva is only produced in better years; the wine rests for 20 months in oak and 16 more in bottle before being released. In the better years and from the oldest vineyards (30 years old) around 20,000 liters of Reserva Premium is produced, a wine with long ageing in new oak – 26 months. Finally, the top wines is the Gran Reserva from the best grapes and in the best vintages, with 42 months aged in oak and almost the same time in bottle.
Winemaking Philosophy
The main part of the vineyard area is located at an altitude of between 800 and 900 meters above sea level. “At that altitude” said Yolanda “ the temperature variations between day and night are large and such stress to the vine produces fruit which takes a little longer to ripen”. The vines (Tempranillo) are trained (although they may appear hacked) into low bushes. The vineyard age ranges from 12 to over 40 years and the vines are very low yielding. The soil is very poor and mainly composed of limestone and clay with some sandy spots. “We use traditional cultivation techniques and only natural, organic fertilizer. We do not irrigate and our yields are between 1.500kg/hectare and 4.700kg/hectares. The fruit is harvested by hand into small crates (14 kg baskets) to ensure that the berries do not get squashed en route to the winery.” said Yolanda.
A new winery was constructed in 2000, made up of three long tunnels buried into the side of a hill. The whole winery has a natural, constant temperature of 12ºc, due to the fact that it is buried under ground. “We use a combination of oak barrels made from American, French and East European oak. The barrels are all 225 liter and are replaced every four years” said Yolanda.
Bodegas Valduero in D.O. Toro
A bit more than 10 years after establishing Bodegas Valduero in Ribera del Duero, the Viadero family established another winery, about 100 km away, in the Toro region. Only one grape variety is grown, the indigenous Tinto de Toro (similar to Tempranillo) on 50 hectares of vineyard land. “In contrast to Ribera del Duero, in Toro we decided to develop only two wines, both wines that are easier to drink wines than those from Ribera del Duero. So, the two portfolios complement each other.” said Yolanda.
Pictures: Winemaker Yolanda Viadero from Valduero Vineyards in Ribera del Duero and in Toro, Spain, at Twisted VinesVal Viadero Joven: “100% Tinta de Toro. We pick the grapes in 12 kg cases and ferment them at 23ºC and 28ºC, followed by maceration during 15 days where it gets all its potential. It is stabilized in the bottle for a year” said Yolanda.
Val Viadero Roble: “In addition, this wine also benefits from 6 months of some barrel aging” said Yolanda.
Yolanda Garcia Viadero
From the very beginning, Gregorio García Álvarez, a native of the region, put his two daughters, Yolanda and Carolina García Viadero, in charge of the winery. Yolanda Garcia Viadero is a trained Agricultural Engineer and has an MSc in Viticulture and Oenology. She has been the winemaker for all these years. “Everything begins with the land” Yolanda said “our land is well-chosen to begin with, tenderly cultivated, and the grapes are gently harvested cluster by cluster at optimum ripeness at the end of the growing season.” Her sister Carolina’s is the head of Valduero’s sales. Right from the beginning she has placed a special emphasis on export. Almost half of the production is exported. “We are now trying to open up the American market to fine Spanish wines” said Yolanda.
What Yolanda Viadero Poured
Val Viadero Joven 2007
Region: Toro D.O.Variety: 100% Tinta de Toro
Plantation density: 2.600 plants / Ha
Yields: 4500-5000kg from selected parcels
Vineyard age: 5 years
Irrigation: No
Fertilization: Lamb manure
Pruning: Low bush vine
Grape harvest: First week of October
Picking: By hand in 14kg boxes
Bottle aging: 12 months
Tasting notes: Intense strawberry color, brilliant, full of deep and complex aromas are part of the innate characteristics of this wine. At the palate, fruity flavors, liquorices tones, well structured and concentrated. Long and clear.
Val Viadero Roble 2007
Region: Toro D.O.
Variety: 100% Tinta de Toro
Plantation density: 2.600 plants / Ha
Yields: 4500-5000kg from selected parcels
Vineyard age: 15 years
Irrigation: No
Fertilization: Lamb manure
Pruning: Low bush vine
Grape harvest: First week of October
Picking: By hand in 14kg boxes
Barrel ageing: 6months in oak
Bottle ageing: 12 months
Tasting notes: Ruby color. Persistent and fine aroma that comes from its ageing in toasted oak barrels, highlighting mint aromas, liquorice and toasted coffee. To the palate is a perfectly balanced wine.
Valduero Crianza 2007
Region: Ribera del Duero D.O.Variety: 100% Tinto Fino
Plantation density: 2.600 plants / Ha
Yields: 4500-5000kg
Vineyard age: 12 years
Irrigation: No
Fertilization: Lamb manure
Pruning: Low bush vine
Grape harvest: First week of October
Picking: By hand in 14kg boxes
Aging in barrique: 15 months in barriques from 2 different origins.
Bottle ageing: 12 months
Tasting Notes: Deep ruby color, very live. Fruity aromas balanced with spiciness and balsamic tones. In the mouth it is velvety, well structured with a good after taste.
schiller-wine: Related Posting
The Wines of Bodegas Epifanio Rivera in Spain
Welcoming Winemaker Ruben Saenz Lopez and his Bodegas San Prudencio Wines from Rioja in Spain to Washington DC
Meeting Didier Soto and Tasting His Biodynamic Mas Estela Wines from Catalonia
Meeting Up-and-coming Winemaker Rita Ferreira Marques from the Duoro Area in Portugal at Screwtop Winebar in Clarendon, Virginia
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