What's New in May

Rolling through Rueda

Over the years we've emphasized the fact that Spain is a nation that is comprised of many different cultures. Each of these cultures has its own history, customs and even language. Popular American ideas of Spain hardly hold true for the whole of the nation. The landscape in Galicia is lush and green, a far cry from the dusty mesas immortalized in Cervantes’ tale of Don Quixote. The closest thing you’ll find to a bull fight in the Basque country is the idi probak, or oxen test, where competitors drive teams of oxen in rock-pulling races. The natives of Barcelona prefer speaking Catalan to the national language. So what about the Spanish? Where in Spain do you find these wholly Spanish customs that we think of when we think of Spain? You’ll find them in Central Spain, in places like Castilla y Leon. And in the heart of Castilla y Leon you’ll find Rueda.

In the center of Rueda is the village of Matapozuelos, the home of the Arevalo family and their winery: Garciarevalo. A love of this Spanish land drove the Arevalo family to their winemaking philosophy: create the best wine possible by using the best ingredients possible. The ingredients don’t get much better than they do here. At 900 meters elevation the flat expanses of vineyards pose an enigma: how do you have a dried-up seabed at some of the highest elevations in Spain? Complete with marine fossils, these sandy soils provide the perfect environment for Verdejo and Viura, the native grapes of Rueda. This protection has allowed these vines to flourish for decades, with many vines over 145 years old. This is a harsh climate, but perfect for Verdejo. The sandy soils amplify the temperature differences between night and day and the long winters with late frosts turn to hot, dry summers. With such drastic temperature differences Rueda provides the perfect climate for maturation of this native harvest.

Perfect grapes in hand, the Arevalo family does everything in their power to keep true to the fruits of their land. The free-run juice is fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and then bottled directly from the tanks with minimal filtration. The wines of Garciarevalo are a labor of love from both the land and the Arevalo family. These wines are the taste of Spain, straight from the heart of the country.

New Releases from Garciarevalo

Casamaro Blanco 2008
90% Verdejo & 10% Viura
Bright melon and citrus notes combine to complement the lush, well-balanced palate. Drink it young and enjoy it with some of its hometown favorites like chorizo or jamon. This is the perfect wine for wasting a day away with some close friends and good tapas.

Tres Olmos Verdejo 2007
100% Verdejo
Lime and other citrus notes combine with a waxy component on the nose. The palate shows many complex elements, such as marzipan, with a finish that is lengthy and round. This wine is sourced only from the oldest plots of un-grafted, pre-phylloxera vines. After the temperature-controlled fermentation, the Tres Olmos is allowed to age on the lees for six months before being bottled.

Also New...

2009 Cocktail Contest: Sherry

Our 2009 Cocktail Contest is underway. We want your original Sherry Cocktail recipes, please email them to us. The winner will receive a hand painted porron from this year's guest artist: Mike Jakob of the Elliot Street Deli & Pub in Atlanta, Georgia.

In the Press

From the Sonoma Valley Sun

Celia Carey of the Sonoma Valley Sun shares her recent experience of being introduced to Txakolina.

In an effort to broaden my stubbornly limited horizons, W.S. introduced me to Txakolina, a lower-alcohol, perfect hot-weather aperitif wine with unique characteristics, as well as a fascinating back-story.

Read the full article, Basque-ing in Wine, in the Sonoma Valley Sun.

Links of Interest

>What's New Archive
>The De Maison Selections Newspost
>André's Travel Blog