Spanish Love Affair

I love Spain.  There, I said it.  The wine, the food, the people, the landscape, the weather…it’s pretty much a wine lover's dream come true.   

You know when you go into a new situation and you have such high expectations and inevitably there is no way that your imaginings can quite live up to reality?   Right.  Lucky for me, I had zero expectations travelling to Spain for the first time.  Now, granted, you have to understand that what I do for a living is buy wine.   So when you meet someone who makes wine, well…naturally, they want you to buy their wine.  So they’re going to be nice to you.  Sometimes, they’re even extra-special-nice to you.  It just makes good business sense.  I’ve been lucky enough to visit Spain three times now, twice for work and once for fun (hey, who’s kidding who -- they were all fun) and I have always had an amazing time, without fail.  And so, this is just the first of many posts that will be about the wines of Spain.   

VIÑA SASTRE, Ribera del Duero
Winemaker and vineyard manager Jesus Sastre has some of the oldest vineyards in the Ribera del Duero region of Spain.  He believes in organic and biodynamic farming - aka, no pesticides or chemical fertilizers, following the phases of the moon for planting, pruning and harvesting and being 'at one with the land.'  Yes, it sounds a little hippie-skippy, but, dang it if it doesn't work.   


Jesús Sastre in the vineyards

As serious as he is about making good wine, he is just as serious about having good food, good friends and good times.  Within five minutes of meeting him, we were out in the vineyards drinking wine out of a porron (picture a glass watering can --- FOR YOUR MOUTH).  It allows a group of people to communally share the same bottle of wine without...well, without getting mouth cooties all over the glass.  See here:

Not as easy as it looks, my friend.  On my turn, I ended up with most of the wine all over my face.  You live, you learn....and you laugh while you try again with wine on your face. 

Jesus had amazing wines, from his youngest 'Roble' to his single-vineyard Pago de Santa Cruz.  The signature Ribera del Duero grape Tempranillo -- known in these parts as Tinto Fino -- grows differently here on the high-elevation plateau (2300+ feet!) of Ribera del Duero than it does in other parts of Spain.  Warm daytime temperatures combined with cool evening temperatures and limestone and clay soils add depth and complexity to the wines produced here.  Some of the most expensive and sought-after wines in the world are found in Ribera del Duero, namely Vega Sicilia, a neighbor of Sastre.  The Vina Sastre wines are seriously concentrated, spicy and fresh.  I can't recommend them enough. 

Bodegas Hermanos Sastre
www.vinasastre.com