Bodega Profile – Bodegas Peique SL – DO Bierzo

Bodegas Peique was created by a handful of family members who were dedicated to cultivating and elaborating quality red wine. The family has been intimately familiar with winemaking for generations, having not only lived in region of the bodega their entire lives, but having also owned, cultivated and elaborated wines for centuries. The name of the Bodega is a reflection of both the family name and their character. Their wines carry the familiar mark, Peique, accompanied by the name “Spiritual”, each one baptized as if part of the family.

July 24, 2007

by Gabriella Opaz

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Bodega Profile – Bodegas Emilio Lustau S.A. – DO Jerez

In 1896, Don Jose Ruiz-Berdejo began cultivating grape vines on his estate, Nuestra Senora de la Esperanza (Our Lady of Hope), located right outside of Jerez de la Frontera. Once the wine was made, Jose would store the barrels on his estate and later sell them to a large exporting company. By the 1950′s, Jose’s son-in-law, Don Emilio Lustau Ortega, offered a new more innovative vision for the Bodega. Foreseeing a strong and expansive future, Emilio moved the bodega to the ancient Santiago district in the heart of Jerez.

July 23, 2007

by Gabriella Opaz

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Bodega Profile – Bodega Clos Figueras – DOC Priorat

If you rake your brain a bit, you may remember an article we posted last week describing our trip to DO Montsant with Tim from Winecast and Miquel, the export director for Bodegas Laurona. Our story, unbeknownst to you, ended right before lunch when we changed our focus to Bodegas Clos Fiqueras in DO Priorat. The sounding bell to announce the switch was given by the owner of the quaint little restaurant when he sat us down at our table like four perfect little accouterments to his brightly colored café. Our table was located on small loft on the second floor containing four tables, a narrow wooden antique banquet and long railing providing the perfect view of each dish served below.

July 20, 2007

by Gabriella Opaz

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Chapter 4: Rioja

I suppose I should begin this post by stating the obvious, my original plan to write one article a week on whatever wine book I am currently tackling in the series was a long shot at best. Although my intentions have been sincere, I won’t lead you back into my snake pit of false hope, […] Continue Reading →

July 19, 2007

by Gabriella Opaz

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Iberian Wine News Around the Web

Tasting both Old and New Spanish Wines from Catalonia In the Dining and Wine Edition of the New York Times, we found a great article about a Spanish wine tasting in New York on wines from our home-region of Catalunya. Eric Asimov writes of his recent experience tasting 23 bottles of red wine from DO […] Continue Reading →

July 13, 2007

by Gabriella Opaz

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Our Visit to DO Montsant and the Spanish Bodega – Laurona

Approximately a year and half ago, Ryan and I made a quick jaunt down to the Priorat to visit Bodegas Ficariavins before heading north to attend Alimentaria in Barcelona. Our trip was short, lasting only two days, but the crash course in Priorat and Montsant wines gave me the necessary foundation I needed before our second visit last week with Tim from Winecast.

July 12, 2007

by Gabriella Opaz

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Spanish Bodega Profile – Bodegas Tintoralba – DO Almansa

These wines are in one word, outstanding! The real story, however, revolves around the grape varietal, Granacha Tintorerra, also known as Alicante Bouschet. During the time of prohibition in the States, this grapes was grown widely throughout California due to its high productivity and deep color. It is one of the few grapes that not only has a red skin, but also red pulp, producing incredibly dark colored wine. During prohibition, you could actually order a case of Alicante Bouschet from California, which would arrive to your doorstep containing very detailed instructions as how to not allow your grapes to miraculously turn into wine. The instructions were so detailed that you might get a little confused for how not to make wine for instructions on how too make wine.

July 11, 2007

by Ryan Opaz

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Spanish Bodega Profile – Heretat de Cesilia – DO Alicante

I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited their winery on several occasions now, but this particular visit was a little different in that – full disclosure – my partner Emilio Saez van Eerd is working to help them both find exporters and to set up a one of a kind wine tourism project, something I hope that we can write about in the near future. What I can say from my perspective is that the wines made here are of high quality. The French winemaker, Sebastien Boudon, is very intent on achieving a goal, which I feel he has achieved: to make wine from the local native grapes using methodologies he learned from his native region in Bordeaux called, Entre deux Mer.

July 9, 2007

by Ryan Opaz

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Spanish Bodega Profile – Dominio de Tares – DO Bierzo

Founded in 2000, the Bodega was created with the philosophy of elaborating wines from the native varietial, Mencía, using 40 to 100 year old vines which express the complete terroir of Bierzo. Our philosophy is very different than the Château concept where one only uses grapes located from the vineyards surrounding the Bodega, whereas we rescue and revive the old vineyards throughout the Bierzo to elaborate the single variety (Mencía).

July 5, 2007

by Gabriella Opaz

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Spanish Bodega Profile – Sierra Salinas, DO Alicante

Approximately two weeks ago, I had the privilege of visiting a new winery in the DO Alicante called, Bodega Sierra Salinas. A project of the Castaño family winery, Sierra Salinas hopes to produce wines of high quality in an area of Alicante that is truly amazing to visit. Nestled in a rolling valley of hills between the tree lined ridges of the Sierra Salina Mountains, the bodega’s setting is reminiscent of Napa Valley for those California wine lovers. Unfortunately, my trip was short, and to be in such a beautiful place, I was very sad to go.

June 27, 2007

by Ryan Opaz

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