Paula Maia's Wine blog

La Mancha happens to be the largest demarcated wine region in the world and it lies just 200km south of Madrid. I spent a whole day at Pago del Vicario, in its beautiful organically designed complex that blends in with the landscape and its surrounding vineyards. The region is so flat that anything would stand out, but the winery’s hotel and restaurant rather integrate with nature and cannot even be seen from afar.

Pago del Vicario is denominated Vino de la Tierra, the equivalent of Vins de Pays in France, which theoretically is one step below the DO wines, but allows the producer greater freedom, so experimentation runs wild. Having that said, it was Susana Lopes, the winemaker at Pago del Vicario who came up with the first Blanco de Tempranillo, a white wine made from the black grape Tempranillo- what the French call a Blanc du Noir- and I call heaven.

A delicious, refreshing, 100% free run juice with a delicate and yet racy palate. I brag on the fact that I was the first person to carry this wine in NY and having tasted every vintage since its release, I must say that its evolution is remarkable. The wine is leaner and elegant, which makes it a great afternoon wine or aperitif, not to mention a perfect sea food pairing. I could have had an entire bottle by their pool on that 104F degree afternoon, but a swimsuit wasn’t an option.

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The first wine region I visited in Spain was Toro, one of the DOs found in Castilla y Leon, located around the Duero river west of Ribera del Duero and northwest of Rueda. The Duero crosses the region from east to west, becoming the Douro as it drifts through Portugal. Toro wine history dates back to before the Romans and, as the name evokes, has always produced big and bold wines from pre-philloxera vines. Legend has it that it was Toro wines that accompanied Columbus on his journey to discover America.

In the last twenty  years Toro has experienced a complete revitalization, with many high-profile wineries such as Vega Sicilia investing in the area. It was in the year 2000, almost a decade before the giant group Louis Vouitton Moet & Chandon recognized the region’s potential, that Bodega Dos Victorias was born. Headed by Victoria Benavides, the winery carries its prior proprietor name, Elias Mora. Today Elias Mora is one of the best examples of traditional wine making in Spain.

Victoria Benavides with enologist Vanesa Perez Martinez produce wines from 100% free standing, very old Tinta de Toro bushes that grow on sandy soils covered with rocks. Hard to imagine that anything would thrive in this near-desert environment, but the native grape- a local variant of Tempranillo- loves it. That along with the altitude, harsh winters and short dry summers, yield a concentrated potion of ripe dark fruit, beautiful complex balance and eternal finish. No wonder every wine has achieved over 90 points from all critics and publications.

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Before heading to Madrid I regarded Tapas Bars as a heaven of food and wine. Always  comforting, the expected Croquetas de Jamon, Tortilla Espanola, Gambas al Ajillo,  Jamon Serrano, and the fancy Jamon Iberico, were the perfect match to my Crianza, or better yet, to my year-long waited Xakoli. As with so many cliches, the tapas in Madrid soon deflated the romantic idea I had, and I quickly became used to the Pinxtos, the Basque Tapas reminiscent of a bruschetta, found and consumed all over at all times.

Cava Baja, in La Latina, is Madrid‘s home of Tapas. Filled with many great destinations, Casa Lucas stands out for its excellent quality and value. Elected one of the best 50 tapas bars in the country, the tiny place is packed daily with locals and tourists wanting a piece of history. A few very old-fashioned tapas bars can be found in Huertas, where La Casa del Abuelo has been serving their famous Gambas al Ajillo since 1906 to notorious patrons such as Andy Warhol.

Near the Palacio Real lies the gorgeous Mercado de San Miguel. Established in 1835, it recently went under a major renovation to house some of the best purveyors of Madrid. In a historical monument- the only steel market to survive to this day, one can feast on an array of Mediterranean specialties. I favored some fresh oysters with a chilled Cava while watching strangers in pursue of the same heavenly grub. That’s what made Mercado de San Miguel my favorite place in Madrid.

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Don Candido is also a member of the Valduga family who set off on his own to open what is now a boutique winery. Favoring quality and tradition, Don Candido produces small quantities of outstanding wines from noble grapes. These have won several international medals and awards. One can still meet with Don Candido in their dining room and chat over a grappa.

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In 1972 Don Giovanni was the first to age his wine in small barrique. A blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Gamay, the wine was very concentrated and quite tannic, with an alcoholic volume considered high for the time of about 12%. Since then, Don Giovanni has been producing  powerful wines of great complexity and ageing potential. The winery guesthouse is one of those places you wish you would never leave. Not until you see the tab.

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Miolo was the one winery I had no desire whatsoever to visit. Pretty much a Coca-cola of wines, Miolo group is the biggest wine producer in Brazil. Joining other big wine groups such as Osborne, Miolo aggressively entered the international market in 2006. Today their sparkling wines can be found in Costco as well as in any ordinary liquor store. But then again, how could I be there and not pop in? What was meant to be just a quick check, turned out to be a really nice tasting of their premium wines. With big names come big prices. Expect to pay Champagne price for their sparklings and Chablis 1er Cru price for their Chardonnay.

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November 13th is my grandmother’s birthday. Today she is 84 year old. My granny has always been superstitious. She married a guy who’s birthday fell on the 13th. All her passwords have the 13 number in it. Every 13th of the month she lights a candle, and when she plays lotto, she always bets on the 13. Highly influenced by her, I too make extensive use of the number 13.

Surprisingly, I opened my mail box this afternoon, and there was the results of the WSET Advanced Sommelier exam I took back in September. It was like opening the Oscars envelope. There it was: PASS WITH DISTINCTION. I couldn’t believe it.  A sudden burst of pride and happiness came over me. OMG! Are you kidding? Distinctions? Oh!

It wasn’t until I made a bunch of phone calls, scram on the street and told everyone I know about it, that I realized it happened on a Friday 13th. Surreal. My grandma is right. After all, there is something about the 13th.

Casa Valduga was one of the first Brazilian wineries to make sparkling wines in the method champenoise. The Valduga family arrived in Bento Goncalves in the late 19th Century and soon begun planting the first vineyards in the valley. Today it has the biggest sparkling wine cellar in Latin America, and it is still run by the family.

I wasn’t going to visit Casa Valduga at first. I focus on wineries of small-medium production that eventually will be showcased in my wine bar. Recognizing that it would have been silly to miss out on this opportunity, we ended up spending an entire morning in their gigantic complex. There was a film, a tour, a tasting, the whole shebang, and it was worth it.

It is not by chance that Casa Valduga is a symbol of excellence in Brazil. Nor a coincidence that it is the official winery in the Planalto. Their wines are indeed excellent and their top tier sparkling have fooled even the French. Therefore, all the medals and awards worldwide.           Go Brazil!

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It was a priority to visit Bento Goncalves’ wineries since I was going to be around there to see what the buzz was all about. How is it possible that the sparkling wines of the Vale dos Vinhedos were being compared to Champagne? Of course they are made in the Traditional Method and with the same Champagne varieties, but what about the soil? The climate? The quality? I was puzzled.

Elected the best sparkling wine of Brazil, Decanter magazine featured Mario Geisse; owner of Vinicola Geisse, as the man behind this Champagne-like espumante that won numerous international awards. Small production and high quality is the motto at Vinicola Geisse, where we met with one of their knowledgeable staff- a student of the nearby Viticulture & Enology University.

Their elegant wines can only be found in boutique stores and restaurants throughout the world, and of course, here in my cellar, where a few bottles made its way safe and sound. I must agree, Vale dos Vinhedos is definitely making sparkling wines comparable in quality and style to some Champagne houses and Cave Geisse is the proof that Brazil can produce excellent fizzy juice. Saude!

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Summer in Brazil is what any normal human being dreams of. Lucky for me, I can always go home in the summer and experience household names such as Carnival, Ipanema, Caipirinha, Samba, and much more. More happens to be WINE, of course. Brazil has been making wine since the 1600′s and is now a solid producer of beautiful Sparkling wines. One of the most important wine region in Brazil is the Vale dos Vinhedos, in Bento Goncalves, located less than 200km north of Porto Alegre.

Settled around 1875 by Italian immigrants who came mostly from the Trento and the Veneto regions, the valley has a range of features that distinguishes it from all the other regions. Up in the mountains, it is surrounded by the towns of Bento Gonçalves – Brazilian Capital of Wine, Garibaldi – National Capital of Sparkling Wine and Monte Belo do Sul, known for its  stunning natural landscape that changes in each season.

We spent a long weekend visiting the most prominent wineries of the valley, including Miolo, Casa Valduga and the prestigious, but small, Cave de Amadeu. On my next posts I will feature these wineries alone, while here I am posting impressions of the valley in general and other places of interest we visited in the area.

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As crazy as it sounds, after being to 7 wine regions, we headed straight to Munich in time to catch the Oktoberfest. The funny thing is that the Oktoberfest is actually in September. What happens is the weather is so bad in October that they started to push it back until it stayed in September, when the weather is still bad, but better than in October.

It was my first real Oktoberfest, but being from the South of Brazil, where the 2nd largest Oktoberfest outside Munich happens, the original one didn’t impress me as much as my proud German husband wish it did. About 100km north of Porto Alegre- where I hail from- there is a great deal of Germans immigrants. That is in Novo Hamburgo, Sao Leopoldo, Gramado, Canela, Bento Goncalves, just to name a few. Today you can still hear amongst themselves a dialect, so old that my husband hardly understands it.

In my next Oktoberfest, I will make sure to park in the Sekt Tent as opposed to a sought after Beer Tent. It’s almost shameful to deny the importance of the liquid gold and its national supremacy, but there’s only so much I can drink of it. Now, wine is a different story and a mass- or a keg rather- will do me good. Did I have fun? Of course, I just wish I was as drunk as everyone else.

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Hansjorg Rebholz, owner and winemaker of Weingut Okonomierat Rebholz was grand. With such finesse and contained enthusiasm, he graciously and generously guided us through his wines, highlighting the differences in terroir while we savored its end result.

Producer of the Year in 2002, Mr.Rebholz is one of the pioneers of top quality in the Pfalz, continuing and elevating his family 300 years history of  wine making. Every single wine we tasted brought in this sense of wonder and astonishment, crowned by the fabulous Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.

Without knowing it, we had saved the best for last. Weingut Okonomierat Rebholz was the last winery we visited on this trip and it was epic. We accomplished  our goal of visiting as many best producers of Germany as we could. I just can’t wait to start it all over again. See you soon Hansjorg.

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