| Wines of Spain- My Visit to Valencia & Rioja | | | | By: Ron Kapon |  Page 1 of 3 next >> |
To quote from Jan Read’s book “Wines of Spain”- Since the time of Sir Francis Drake Spain has been known first and formost for sherry. Until recently, the image was of sturdy (though often drinkable) plunk. The Spaniard much prefers quantity to quality and loves flavor less than he hates trouble. Better wines were available, like those from Rioja, but they were drunk mainly on special occasions. During the last dozen years there has been an increasing realization among the younger winery owners that Spain’s future as a wine producer lies in quality. With the help of modern technology Spain is now producing characterful and individual growths. Perhaps no other country in Europe makes wine in such a variety of styles. The future looks bright for the Spanish wine industry.
In late Spring I was invited to Vinoelite, the first wine exhibit (100 exhibitors and over 5,000 trade visitors) sponsored by IVEX, the economic arm for all products in the Valencia region. By the time you read this story the winner of the 32nd America’s Cup will have been decided. Not since 1851 has Europe hosted this venerable race which is the oldest active trophy in international sports, predating the modern Olympics by 45 years. In 2003 the Swiss boat defeated the New Zealand entry, in New Zealand. Not having an ocean, Switzerland opened up for bidding the location of their defense of the cup. Valencia won with an investment of over $235 million on a new harbor, a marina for 640 boats, docks, beaches, storage facilities, restaurants, entertainment venues and spectator comforts befitting the over 2 million people who are expected in Valencia to view the races. The “golden age” of Valencia began a few years ago with the opening of the Hemispheric and its eye-shaped planetarium and IMAX theatre surrounded by a rectangle of water. The nearby City of Arts & Sciences is the largest cultural and leisure complex in Europe and contains a science museum, botanical gardens, planetarium, Marine Park (Europe’s largest aquarium) and opera house that rival Sydney’s in looks. It was designed by Valencia- born architect Santiago Calatrava who is also the architect for the new Path station being built at NYC’s World Trade Center area. There is also a new Valencia Trade & Exhibition Center (Vinoelite took place here) with several multi-level buildings containing space for meetings, food service and trade shows. All of these architectural wonders did for Valencia what the Olympics did for Barcelona and the Guggenheim did for Bilbao.
There are 17 regions/provinces in Spain and Valencia’s GNP is 12% of all of Spain. Think Valencia oranges, Paella Valenciana, rice, wine, tourism and construction. The port is one of the busiest in Spain and handles 20% of the country’s exports. I was hard pressed to name a single wine from Valencia before attending Vinoelite. Some of the grape varieties planted in this region along the Mediterranean coast, south of Barcelona, may be unfamiliar. They include: Red- Garnacha (Grenache), Monsatrell (Mourvedre), Bobal & Tempranillo. Whites- Malvasia, Macabeo & Moscatel. Yes, there are plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon but I was interested in the native varieties. After visiting half a dozen wineries and tasting more than 50 wines my conclusion is- “the wines range from good to superb but very few have found US importers. Or, if they have, they are niche importers often covering just a few states.” Our group also tasted wines from Utiel-Requena, a region situated in the province of Valencia and from Alicante, a wine region located south of Valencia. I have not listed any of the wineries because it will be frustrating trying to find them in wine shops. That should change within a year. I have listed the names of two major importers of the wines I did taste.
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