Are you familiar with Verdejo?
If you are like most American wine drinkers, you probably are not. So, allow me to invite you to open up your palate and think outside the box for a change, as we discover a delicious, vivacious white that everybody should be drinking. Verdejo is by far my favorite Spanish white grape variety, and the most important variety of D.O. Rueda, a Spanish appellation dedicated mostly to making white wine.
To situate ourselves, the Rueda appellation is located in Castilla León, to the south of the city of Valladolid and the Duero River.
map courtesy of D.O. Rueda
Verdejo (named from verde, which means green in Spanish) is an early to mid budding and ripening variety, very resistant to drought. Besides growing indigenous Verdejo, we can find other white varieties in Rueda such as: Palomino Fino, the Sherry grape, which was important once upon time, Viura, the most important white variety in Rioja, Sauvignon Blanc and thanks to a recent change in regulations: Viognier and Chardonnay. By law, any Rueda white must have at least 50% Verdejo or Sauvignon Blanc in the blend and the rest could be any of these other grapes, in most cases, Viura. However, if the word Verdejo appears on the label, the wine must be 85% from this variety.
Beautiful Verdejo Grapes.
Picture courtesy of RiberaRueda campaign
What makes the Rueda appellation so special?
For starters there's a long winemaking tradition in this area, they have been producing wines since the 11th century, however an important revival took place in the 1970s, when a very well known producer from Rioja (Marqués de Riscal), advised by Emile Peynaud saw potential in the area to make wines from Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc.
The climate in Rueda is continental, which means extreme, hot short summers and very cold winters, with low rainfall falling mostly in Spring and Autumn (400 ml per year). These dry weather conditions during the growing season, make this spot an ideal place to practice organic farming, with many producers certified as such. Altitude of the terrain, makes a big difference here, with most vineyards located between 500- 800 metres, the cooler night temperatures will allow the vines to rest and to keep acidity levels.
Verdejo grapes grow on two types of soils, some are stony and pebbly with good drainage (like those in the area of La Seca) and others are sandy with limestone (like those in Segovia). This appellation hosts some of the oldest vineyards in Spain with vines averaging 30-130 years old, most of them ungrafted, having survived the deadly phylloxera louse.
Verdejo vines planted on stony soils.
picture courtesy of Ribera Rueda campaign.
Most Rueda wine is made in stainless steel, at low temperatures to preserve the fine aromatics of this grape. Some producers have dared to experiment with barrel fermentation and aging in oak, as well as some aging in lees which will add creaminess, with successful results. There’s also a small production of Verdejo Traditional method sparkling wines as well, and fortified Verdejo wines called Rueda Dorado and Pálido (similar to Sherry and aged for a few years in oak). New regulations in Rueda, created a new designation for wines that come from older vines, 30+ years old, now defined as Gran Vino de Rueda (Great Wine from Rueda).
Verdejo’s tasting profile will feature an aromatic wine with notes of green herbs, grass, fennel, lime, grapefruit and passion fruit; with aging they acquire bitter almond notes. Old vines will yield very concentrated wines, with medium plus to high acidity, medium to medium plus bodies and medium plus alcohol (some can easily have 14%). Rueda wines are better drunk young, but thanks to their acidity can age up to 8 years.
Match your Verdejo/Rueda wines with salads, as well as seafood, especially delicate white fish such as Flounder, Mahi Mahi or Cod. I also love it with Sushi or Poke salad.
Recommended Producers: best Verdejo can only come from Spain, here are some the top producers:
Naia, J&F Lurton, Jose Pariente, Telmo Rodriguez, Carlos Moro, Cuatro Rayas, Marqués de Riscal,Marqués de Cáceres, Jorge Ordoñez.
Here some Verdejos I tasted lately that I liked:
Jorge Ordoñez Nisia Las Suertes Verdejo 2018 $29.99
Made from dry farmed, ungrafted old vines, and aged for a year on its lees.
This smooth Verdejo offers pineapple and honeydew melon notes. Complex, focused and elegant.
Cuatro Rayas, Vendemia Nocturna 2019 $15
Fermented in stainless steel, this wine is made from grapes harvested at night to avoid oxidation. Very lively Verdejo featuring green herbs (fennel) and citrus (lemon zest and lime notes).
Shaya Verdejo 2017 $17.99
A Verdejo with a touch of oak, 20 to 30% is fermented in barrel. Smooth Verdejo offers tropical passion fruit and pineapple notes supported by a vibrant finish. Made from very old vines grown in sandy soils.
Bodegas Beronia Verdejo 2019 $16.99
Fermented in stainless steel with grapes featuring different grades of ripeness, one part was harvested early to preserve freshness and acidity and the second later to show riper fruit. This juicy Verdejo exudes red delicious apple and guava flavors framed by nervy acidity.
Marqués de Cáceres Verdejo 2019, $12.99
Bright Verdejo showing white peach, grapefruit and blanched almonds notes ending in a clean and crispy finish.
Cheers! Silvina
#verdejo #rueda #thoughtsoflawina #Spain #WineWednesday #verdejowinelover #winesfromspain #drinkrueda
I have a story about Cool Climate Whites. Once upon a time when it was time to pass my wine tasting exam to get the WSET Diploma in Wines and Spirits, the school presented me with the following exercise, in front of me, there were three wines, they didn’t tell me the grape variety, origin or vintage, I was supposed to taste them blind, write tasting notes about them, identify the grapes and origin of the wines and identify a common characteristic that all of them shared. The three whites were a Mosel Riesling, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and a basic Chablis... and you guessed it! Their common denominator was that all three were Cool Climate Whites. I knew this immediately, mostly because I love acidity (a giveaway for this category), and purity in wines… meaning little or no winemaking man intervention, another giveaway.
I love Cool Climate Wines, both white and reds. I always say that climate is a very important factor in viticulture, where matching grapes, soil and climate is like a good marriage. Certain grapes need more sun to properly mature and prefer mild or warm climates, and then we have other grapes, mostly whites, that do quite well with less sun. Now, remember that viticulture is only possible on certain latitudes in our planet, mostly between 30 -50º north and south from the equator. Now, less sun, and therefore less ripeness, less sugar, and less alcohol. Less alcohol means less body and at times less fruity flavors. Instead, you will get more acidity, more vibrancy and freshness, more green and mineral flavors and more elegance. You will also have more focus, precision, as the French say “pointu”. Of course, we always need to aim for the balance of all the elements in wines. Even in a cool climate wine, though acidity is normally the central element, there are other things that keep the wine together, among them, their ability to express the terroir and soils, such as the cases like Chablis or Mosel, (wines known for their minerality, wet stones aromas and flavors).
I believe this is a wonderful category of wines to enjoy in the summer, most of them are light to medium bodied, with high acidity, balanced alcohol, and pure… so pure in the sense that producers have chosen to feature the aromas and intrinsic characteristics of the grapes, instead of masking the wines with too much oak.
This is a category that will match very well, with light summer dishes, vegetables, salads, light fish/ seafood or even on their own, like I love to enjoy them… chilled and seating on a balcony or patio overlooking the stars or my favorite TV show. I love drinking Sauvignon Blanc while on vacation on the beach… that is a sublime experience indeed! that I will resume once the pandemic is over!
Flavor profiles of whites from cool climates usually are all types of pears, apples, especially green apples, citrus (lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange), peaches. Green herbs, fresh grass, green peppers, also stones, and other mineral flavors.
There are plenty of cool climate places in the world: Burgundy, Loire Valley, Alsace, Carneros, Russian River and Sonoma in California, Casablanca in Chile, most appellations in Germany and the UK, Austria, Rías Baixas & Txacoli in Spain. Oregon (especially appellations closer to the Pacific coast), New Zealand, appellations in the South Africa Coast, etc. Most of these places are either too north so the coolness comes from their location, some are due to their high altitude (temperature goes down as we go high up) or the vineyards/areas are heavily influenced by cool sea breezes, (proximity to oceans and rivers).
Below are some examples of Cool Climate wines that I have tasted lately:
1)Marlborough, New Zealand: sunny and influenced by cool sea breezes, Marlborough is a unique location to grow Sauvignon Blancs, like nowhere else on the planet. NZ Sauvignon Blancs are vibrant with piercing fruit intensity.
Sunday Mountain Sauvignon Blanc 2019 $14.99
Medium bodied Sauvignon Blanc showing intense lime zest and passion fruit notes and beautiful zingy acidity.
Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2018 $19.99
Light bodied Sauvignon Blanc featuring fresh green grass and grapefruit notes, and lively yet well integrated acidity.
2)Mosel, Germany: Germany and the UK, are two countries located so far north, they are in the northern limit for viticulture. In wine terms we call these locations “marginal climates”, located at 50-55º latitude respectively, here it’s so cool, grapes have a hard time to mature, of course this is fast changing with global warming. Of the many cool climates spots, Mosel is one of my favorites, there is an elegance found here that can't be duplicated anywhere else, plus alcohol levels are low, allowing me to drink more wine… without having a headache.
Gunther Steinmetz Brauneberger Riesling 2017 $18.99
Dry and racy Riesling, featuring lemon peel, honey and flint notes, complex almost Alsatian in body. Superb!
Dr Hermann H Riesling 2018 $19.99
Delicious off dry white, featuring vibrant acidity, lemon and petrol notes and a light body with only 10 % alcohol. Ideal with spicy foods.
3)Robertson Valley, South Africa, though summers are dry and sunny here, the vineyards are cooled down by the Breede river breezes and also by the Agulhas coast influences. The Chardonnay grapes used in this wine grow on limestone soils, similar to those found Burgundy. This wine was aged on its lees for 4 months.
De Wetshof Limestone Hill Chardonnay 2019 $19.99
A crisp full bodied Chardonnay, full of yellow and green apple notes. Creamy mouthfeel and a touch of minerality rounds up the persistent finish.
So, there you have it! What wines are you enjoying this summer? Tell me on Instagram @silvinalawina. Until next one, cheers! Silvina
#coolclimatewines #coolwines #whitewines #thoughtsoflawina
A special thanks to Broadbent Selections and HB Merchants for these wonderful samples.
In one of my latest posts, I wrote about E-commerce and how since the beginning of the pandemic, online retail sales have increased to an outstanding 237%! Of course that makes me very, very happy, mostly because I think life is better with wine… more so during the pandemic.
I guess, I wanted to explore and to recommend to you, the most important wine retailers online. I know what you are going to say, my papa/mama wine store around the corner is selling online too and now they deliver, I will continue to go to them… and sure, do that, it’s completely fine. But, there are some wine stores out there, that have taken the time, not only to build an incredible selection of wines for you, but they also ship, no matter where you are (even to other countries too, as we soon will see). It’s also good to check the prices. Sometimes, if you buy, let’s say 1 case or more of wine, you can get free shipping and if the store prices are really good, you will save a lot of money, too.
Wine.com
This eretailer has plenty of labels, actually more than 20,000, plus it lists scores too. It can ship to your house or you can pick up your bottles at any Wallgreens or Federal Express locations nationwide. $49 per year gives you free shipping for a year, good if you are planning to buy wines all year long. Prices are also good, you can also chat with a representative to ask for help. They have free virtual wine tastings and very interesting lists such as 90 pts and less than $20 or 94 pts and less than $50. 10% discount off, if you buy a full case of wines.
You can search your bottles by varietal, region or style, and sort your results, they even have a quiz to discover your wine style... I did the test and it was correct, I'm a crispy and minerally white wine fan, perfect for summer.
Vivino.com
The biggest wine community online. The good thing about Vivino is that it values consumers’ opinions and not wine critics’. Every time you scan a label with your phone, it will take you to the page of your wine to see what others think about it. Best wines must have received at least 3.5 points or up, I normally go for bottles that have received at least 3.8 or better 4 pts.
They sell all over the world, including outside the US. They work with stores that can ship to your address. In the US, deliveries can be tricky in certain states, so do check before placing an order. Shipping charges vary according to each store, sometimes a minimum of $150 is required.
You can do searches by varietal, region, food pairing. They list most popular wines in the community (they review an average of 100,000 wines per year, more than any trade magazine or wine critic). They also have a less than $10 wine list (if money is tight, look for recommendations here).
Benchmarkwine.com
This eretailer is for the rich and famous… a huge selection of top wines and collector’s items. They divide their categories in cellars, that include different styles: The Acclaimed Cellar, the Magnifique Cellar, the Explorer Cellar, etc. They also have a wine club, you can sign up to receive 3-4 bottles per month starting at $75 plus per bottle.
If you only drink cult wines, this is the place for you. They guarantee the provenance of all their stock. If you on the other hand, are a collector who wants to sell your fine collection, they can help you too.
JJbuckley.com
Besides having good prices and ratings, JJBuckley can also store your wines for $0.28 per bottle. Plenty of discounts here, including $25 from your purchase of $250. They also have wines discounted as much as 40-50% off. An impressive selection of high end brands.
Wineaccess.com
Good selection of wines, free shipping is included if you spend $120 on 6 bottles, they ship to most estates of the US. They don’t ship overseas.
A huge variety of wines to choose from, they also have a Wine club for $150 per shipment plus tax, 4 per year, which includes 6 bottles of wines, plus a guided video tasting of these wines and 10% discount in all their selections.
Reservebar.com
Huge selection of spirits with some solid wines. Free delivery with $150 purchase, Reserve Bar delivers to most states. Other specials include $10 off from a purchase of 6 bottles or $25 off from a purchase of 12 bottles.
Wine-searcher.com
This is not a wine store but the place where you can find your wines in stores, all over the world that sell online and also find out their price and vintage. I use it all the time. It includes information to help you find wines overseas, which is helpful when traveling on holiday.
Drizly.com
Drizly is not a store per se, it lists brands that are available in retailers near your address, that sell and deliver the products to you. Delivery may or may not be included, depending on the store and how much you spend on your order. In my neighborhood for example, shipping is in most cases only $4.99. Delivery should be within 60 minutes. Prices vary, actually some of them are more expensive than in real wine stores. My recommendation is to check Wine-Searcher for the best prices.
Minibar.com
Minibar is similar to Drizly, it offers a $5 off on your first order. The selection is however limited, it is convenient because of the delivery option, but thanks to Covid-19 most wine stores deliver these days.
So, what are you waiting for? don't you think it's time to stock up on some wines? Cheers! Silvina.
Remember to subscribe to keep receiving Thoughts of La Wina in your inbox and to follow me on Instagram @Silvinalawina.
#thoughtsoflawina
#WineWednesday #vivino #wine.com #benchmarkwine #JJbuckley #drizly #minibar
#wineaccess #minibar #reservebar #wineretailers #ewine
