Cataclysm: Volcanism and Great Wine on the Iberian Peninsula
While staying in the beautiful and historic village of Almagro for the Christmas holiday, we took advantage to visit a nearby Tempranillo estate that had been referred to us by an old friend and winemaking genius in Ribera del Duero. We were astounded by the quality and personality of wines that clearly represented an unprecedented achievement in the area. The estate, Bodegas Calar, is now shipping its first wines to the US and they...
Onward and Upward: Ribera del Duero in the 21st Century
—A Return to the High Slopes— Following Reconquest of the Duero in the 10th through 12th Centuries, monastic orders quickly expanded upon early Roman and Visigothic viticulture, finding ideal conditions for vines and cereals along the banks of Duero River tributaries and in the surrounding high fields, or páramos. After the phylloxera devastation, replanting in the 20th Century focused on the Duero Valley floor and its more easily...
The Journey Began…
Our journey as importers began with an initial expedition to Spain in September of 1983. Slowly awakening from decades of slumber, Spain’s wine industry promised much to avid young aficionados of European terroir. The journey was carefully planned, and had as its final objective a pilgrimage to Sanlúcar de Barrameda to experience the intricacies of that greatest and most enigmatic of dry white wines, Manzanilla. The trip was...
Shock Me! ~ A New Dawn for Fino
Situated in Aguilar de la Frontera’s original power plant since 1922, Toro Albalá quickly gained a reputation for their ELECTRIC wines and Eléctrico was born as a brand. When ordering Fino in Córdoba one need only say “Shock Me!” (¡Dame un calambrazo!). Well known in Spain is Toro Albalá’s 3 Fases (“Three-Phase”) light bulb bottle for Fino en Rama. For launch in the US, a 375ml twist-top bottle incorporating the light bulb image on...
Huguet de Can Feixes
At the very top of D.O. Penedès and in the foothills of the Montserrat pinnacle lies Can Feixes, an historic and beautiful estate producing among the best white, sparkling and red wines of Cataluña. The Feixes family assured contiguous continuity of their extensive mountainside estate for over 400 years, through inheritance by the single eldest successor of each generation retaining the Feixes name. Following demise of the last...
Adegas Morgadío and the Birth of Modern Albariño
Morgadío Albariño is effectively the first modern Albariño estate. Founded in 1984 as Agromiño, S.L. to conduct experimental vineyard development and the first clonal selection of Albariño, 120 acres were planted on terraces overlooking the Miño River at the eastern end of what in 1988 became D.O. Rías Baixas. In fact, this project provided the final impetus for D.O. status. To this day, Morgadío maintains its own unique clonal...