Local Wine Events

Event ID #269173

Event Details

Wine Tasting in the Trapp Family Lodge Wine Cellar

Wednesday, September 30th 4:00 to 6:00

 

We will be tasting new releases of Spanish Tempranillo based Reds, for inclusion on our list.  Rafael Flores of Artisanal Cellars, will be on hand to discuss the wines and answer any questions. With nearly 1.16 million hectares under vine (of which 97.4% is for wine) Spain continues to be the country with the largest area of vine cultivation in the European Union and the world (it accounts for 30% of the total EU area, followed by France and Italy with approximately 22% each). Spain’s geographical position, its climatic differences and its wide variety of soil types makes it a privileged place for producing wines with very different characteristics. Vines are grown in all 17 of the country’s autonomous regions, even though nearly half of the total acreage is found in Castilla-La Mancha (540,000 ha) which is the geographical region with the largest area under vine cultivation in the world. It is unclear precisely where vines were first cultivated in Spain or who brought winemaking techniques to the Iberian peninsula. Various sources believe the first vineyards were cultivated on the southwest coast of Andalusia, which may also have been the entrance point for the first vines reaching the peninsula. Given the presence of the Phoenicians there  approximately 3,000 years ago. They were a trading culture and founded a port in the southwest, which they called Gadir (now Cádiz). Later they moved inland, founding another city they called Xera (now Jerez), where they planted vines in the surrounding hills. Spanish winemaking really took off after the Reconquest of Spain by the Catholic Kings.  The re-established religious communities and monasteries played a significant role in this process; the monks and friars of various orders worked to recover the winemaking tradition.  Wine was vital for their religious rituals, and they also filled their cellars, supplying wine to pilgrims and local taverns. Thus, the vineyards flourished once again in areas surrounding the monasteries and abbeys, and later in other regions. The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread.  The wines featured will be:

 

Casa Gualda, La Mancha 2008

Fescenino, Ribera de Duero 2005

Bodegas Los Frailes, “Bilogia”, Valencia 2004

Bodegas Altanza, “Edulis Crianza”, Rioja 2001

Finca Labajos, “Ibero Roble”, Tierra de Castilla 2004

 

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $15.00 fee per person.