A day with Ruben in La Rioja
After a day of recuperation in the summer villa of Clara’s parents, today was back to work. Yesterday we slept late and hung around the house and the pool the whole day before doing the “tapas” experience last night with some of Clara’s friends. It’s a lot of fun “running” from “tapas” bar to “tapas” bar and just grabbing some bites at each. That way you eat less and get filled faster. A good balanced diet I would say....not! Well, we ended up only getting to bed at one in the morning.
Today was action packed and the early start after the late night was a tough one. But we are professionals and it is part of what we do....so no complaining. We were hosted by the winemaker of “Bodegas Encina”, their brand is called “Tobelos”. Ruben was fantastic. We had a historical and viticultural tour of the whole region of “La Rioja Alta” and it include some stops at ancient Roman vinification sites. We also had two exclusive wine tastings at very prestigious “Bodegas”...friends of Ruben extending their hospitality to Ruben’s international friends.
The “Bodegas” in the region is a smooth combination of ultra modern and architectural designs blended with history and tradition. As we stood in the vineyards staring over the valley below you get the sense of destiny. We discovered the various soil types and terroirs of the small region, filled with over 700 individual producers. The main variety in the area is “Tempranillo” with some “Granacha” parcels here and there. The area is furthermore characterised by the vast number of small parcels cultivated under vines and as we drove the rolling hills and mountain side, you find a small parcel of land under Tempranillo everywhere.
It was surprising to make the comparison between the vines seen today and that what we have seen thus far. It is a new ball game here and again illustrates that vines can grow anywhere. The key remains local knowledge of soil and climate...plus a bit of feeling. I found myself studying the soil and kicking the earth to distinguish between the sandy clay and the calcareous clay when Ruben asked me what I thought about the vines on that specific parcel. I told him that it did not impress me much and he smilingly answered that the wine form these vines have scored 100 Parker points two years in a row...eat your hat “chef”!
So our first day has been full of adventure once again and with many surprises. The fitting start seeing that tomorrow we will be returning to Ruben’s cellar to assist him in doing his selection tasting for the year...that means a 100-plus barrels will be sampled tomorrow morning.
After a day of recuperation in the summer villa of Clara’s parents, today was back to work. Yesterday we slept late and hung around the house and the pool the whole day before doing the “tapas” experience last night with some of Clara’s friends. It’s a lot of fun “running” from “tapas” bar to “tapas” bar and just grabbing some bites at each. That way you eat less and get filled faster. A good balanced diet I would say....not! Well, we ended up only getting to bed at one in the morning.
Today was action packed and the early start after the late night was a tough one. But we are professionals and it is part of what we do....so no complaining. We were hosted by the winemaker of “Bodegas Encina”, their brand is called “Tobelos”. Ruben was fantastic. We had a historical and viticultural tour of the whole region of “La Rioja Alta” and it include some stops at ancient Roman vinification sites. We also had two exclusive wine tastings at very prestigious “Bodegas”...friends of Ruben extending their hospitality to Ruben’s international friends.
The “Bodegas” in the region is a smooth combination of ultra modern and architectural designs blended with history and tradition. As we stood in the vineyards staring over the valley below you get the sense of destiny. We discovered the various soil types and terroirs of the small region, filled with over 700 individual producers. The main variety in the area is “Tempranillo” with some “Granacha” parcels here and there. The area is furthermore characterised by the vast number of small parcels cultivated under vines and as we drove the rolling hills and mountain side, you find a small parcel of land under Tempranillo everywhere.
It was surprising to make the comparison between the vines seen today and that what we have seen thus far. It is a new ball game here and again illustrates that vines can grow anywhere. The key remains local knowledge of soil and climate...plus a bit of feeling. I found myself studying the soil and kicking the earth to distinguish between the sandy clay and the calcareous clay when Ruben asked me what I thought about the vines on that specific parcel. I told him that it did not impress me much and he smilingly answered that the wine form these vines have scored 100 Parker points two years in a row...eat your hat “chef”!
So our first day has been full of adventure once again and with many surprises. The fitting start seeing that tomorrow we will be returning to Ruben’s cellar to assist him in doing his selection tasting for the year...that means a 100-plus barrels will be sampled tomorrow morning.
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