Although international varieties are known and recognized in Spain, they only occupy 7% of the cultivation area, in some cases with a long tradition, very good adaptation and excellent wines.
In the fourth chapter of The La Vanguardia Wine Guide 2024 and under the title "For its international varieties", six wines are collected that have ratings above 90 points. For example Changyu, made by Noble Dragon Reserva, the largest wine brand in China that has been made since 1931 and sells 30 million bottles annually.
Chardonnay du Monde has been celebrated for more than three decades. It is an international competition where wines from countries as diverse as France, Australia, the United States and Chile are tasted. It makes sense that Chardonnay is the chosen variety because it is the most respected and glamorous white variety, with permission from Riesling, Bitte.
After tasting and evaluating some 900 wines, it is time to announce the Top 10. The nerves to discover the best of the best are palpable. Burgundy, Sonoma and Yarra Valley take the top spots, as you might expect. But there is still hope for the surprise and a Toledo chardonnay sneaks onto the podium for the second year. His name, Blas Muñoz Chardonnay.
It is a powerful and opulent chardonnay. A wine of impact, as exaggerated as it is delicious. Night harvest, fermented in barrels and spent 6 months in wood on lees. Concentration of flavor, history and work, until reaching the melting point. Because this story was started by grandfather Blas Muñoz more than 100 years ago.
More than once, Pilar and Bienvenido junior heard that their father was crazy if he thought this variety would work in La Mancha. But Bienvenido Muñoz, oblivious to the gossip, more than 25 years ago he planted his vineyard and ultimately gained fame with this astonishing success. Then, other wineries copied them, and I call that being revolutionary. If its quality were not enough reason to purchase this wine, think about the €13 it costs. Don't you think it's a totally irresistible plan?
Author: Ferran Centelles
Terra Remota, in Alt Empordà, belongs to the Bournazeau Florensa family, who acquired the 40 hectare property in 1999. From the first moment they have been clear, their wines must adhere to three basic concepts: quality, respect for raw material and identity.
I would say that the grape variety used to make this wine is among the ten most important in the world, although in the Empordà region it is not the most popular, since it is foreign and quite little cultivated. Chenin Blanc is a prestigious strain from Anjou, in the French region of the Loire Valley, which adapted wonderfully to the hot and dry Mediterranean climate, as well as to the soil from which it comes, the granite soil.
The result is surprising and elegant, after fermentation and aging for 7 months in concrete eggs and French oak barrels. Golden in color, it is a complex wine where notes of white and exotic fruits predominate. The great minerality and freshness that this prodigious variety denotes is striking.
It is a low-production wine, only 3,700 copies, highly valued by wine connoisseurs and lovers, as they offer unique and different experiences to mass-produced wines. However, due to their limited availability, these wines tend to command higher prices and are often harder to find. They are called unicorn wines and are great for delighting in their complexity. I'll be honest with you, I have a bottle saved! If you love Asian cuisine, this wine is ideal for the occasion.
Author: Zoltan Nagy
A highly awarded wine from a variety that has become a symbol of the DO Somontano. Gewürztraminer, so common in high-altitude European viticulture, adapts perfectly to the sandy loam textures and the climate of the foothills at the foot of the Pyrenees.
Floral and honey nuances that develop, as if it were a perfume of roses and spices, gaining strength over time. Furthermore, this 2022 vintage is very special. After a dry winter and a rainy spring, with high temperatures throughout the year, the growth of the plants accelerated, with a totally exceptional vegetative development, as had not been seen in a few years. So we are looking at one of the earliest in the history of Somontano, warm and with a lot of development of aromatic nuances.
Careful preparation, with a pneumatic press and five hours of film maceration that address its aromatic range and lychee flavors. Ideal for oriental cuisine, for the welcome drink, natural oysters and fresh cheeses that please their acidity. Preserved in good conditions, its evolution in the bottle is magnificent for several years, its aromatic range growing in complexity.
The label shows the original painting for Enate by Vicente Badenes, because it is a project that breathes creativity in all the senses. Enate marked a before and after in the way of experiencing wine in Spain, treating wine as the only art that you can drink and not only as an accompaniment to gastronomy.
Author: Meritxell Falgueras
It is not its area of origin, but Chardonnay has already shown in large places around the world that, without being a chameleon, it adapts very well. A clear example is this Son de Prades, which has known how to express the best descriptors of this variety.
Its vineyards extend in front of the Milmanda castle, near the Poblet monastery, where the Prades mountain range grants the privilege of protecting the vines from the influence of the sea, favoring its elegance and future freshness in the wine. The name Sons de Prades honors the first sounds of dawn in this precious and wonderful place.
The Mediterranean climate with continental influence provides the ideal thermal jump between day and night. Clay-calcareous soils are very suitable for showing the character of the terroir. If there is a winery that carries organic work as its flag, it is Torres. This is one more example. Sustainability and the research to achieve it, both are taken to the maximum level, with great effort, knowledge and in a practical way.
For its production, 30% fermented in French oak barrels, where it aged for 6 months. Pale yellow color with golden sparkles. Fragrant, pure, clean, fresh and herbal nose. Citrus notes, lemon peel type, and aromatic herbs stand out. You can see green apple, pineapple, fennel, white flowers and orange blossom, with subtle toasts from its time in oak. The palate is fluid, boasting good acidity, enveloping and with a floral, long and elegant finish.
Author: María José Huertas
In 2022, the DO Penedès approved the first wines with the category of Vi de Mas and Gran Vi de Mas, which certify the highest quality wines from the DO Penedès, linked to a century-old farmhouse and with strict production processes.
In December 2023, some more wines have been distinguished, including Mas Llinda Xarel·lo and Mas Llinda Cabernet Sauvignon, with the Vi de Mas category. They represent the high range of Covides (1963), the cooperative born from the union of 650 winegrowers from the Penedès. In the last 20 years they have invested heavily in exports, going from 20% to 65% of their turnover in more than 50 countries around the world.
Mas Llinda has been documented since 979, listed as a Property of Local Interest and with a long winemaking tradition. It is located in a landscape of great value, in Sant Sebastià dels Gorgs (Subirats), between the municipalities of Granada and Avinyonet del Penedès.
Single-varietal 100% organically grown cabernet sauvignon, made with minimal intervention, so it may contain small natural lees. Made and rested for a year in a stainless steel tank, without any passage through a barrel, something very unusual in a cabernet, so that without wood it can express the varietal and fruity character of the cabernet sauvignon.
Clearly Mediterranean Cabernet Sauvignon. Intense garnet color with the typical violet tones that denote its youth. It shows the typical black fruit of Cabernet, cherry cherries, black plums, dried figs and cocoa, with sweet tannins. Limited production of 1,200 bottles.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
My six trips to China have allowed me to see the wine and wine tourism boom in China. 70% of the business is concentrated in Yantai, on the Pacific coast, in the magic triangle of three of the most populated cities in the world: Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul, where thousands of tourists come in search of the climate, wine and the most Mediterranean cuisine in China.
Changyu (1892) is the largest and oldest winery in China, built by French architects hired more than a century ago. The Changyu Wine Cultural Museum explains the centuries-old history of the brand and the ancient history of wine in China. Changyu Wine City is the largest theme park in the world dedicated to wine (400 ha), with the largest winery in the world (400 M bottles/year). And since Yantai is in the eastern end of the country, they have built eight winery castles throughout the country, so that every Chinese has a Changyu experience nearby.
Noble Dragon is the largest wine brand in China, it has been produced since 1931, they sell 30 million bottles annually. Cabernet gernischt and cabernet sauvignon, with an international profile, very well made, impeccable, surprising, food for thought.
It would take 280 pages to explain it. That is why we have published with Pierre Ly and Cynthia Howson, economics professors in Seattle, United States, the book Adventures on the China Wine Route, which explains in a clear and simple way the economic development of the wine and wine tourism sectors. in China. So impressive, unknown and real, that when we open our eyes we will not know what happened. Unless, you read this book, now.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
