On the Spanish Wine Road: Rioja and Castilla

I´m in Spain, tasting wines from the north (in Rioja) to the South (Jerez) and hitting points in between such as Tierra de Castilla which is pictured here--but not by me. (image from lacomunidad.elpais.com)

This has been an unbelievable experience that is only half way over, so it will take me a while to digest and process all that I´ve heard, seen and tasted. I´ve met legendary winemakers, seen some cutting edge science at work in the vineyards, and am on my way to the historic Osborne sherry operation in Jerez. I´ve been stunned at the range of Tempranillo, and charmed by what a really fresh Fino Quinta sherry tastes like served very cold, in a frosted glass, after a long day of walking and talking. And the food has been excellent, too, so I´ve got some new tips on what to drink with your Spanish and Portuguese wines.

The weather in Spain is a bit uncharacteristic right now, as it´s cold and wet. There was hail in Rioja just a few days ago, but in Castilla the red poppies were in full bloom. I´ve been reminded all week about Nature´s fickleness, and how difficult it is to work so hard to produce any product that depends on good weather.

I´m not sure if I will be able to post again before I head back to the states, but wanted to send out a mini update to let you know what I´ve been up to and what you will be hearing about soon here on the blog.