RUEDA awakening

The quality white from the Spanish region of Rueda, made mainly from the indigenous , are ready to break out of the domestic market, as Patrick Schmitt MW discussed at a recent db masterclass in London

IT’S A common belief that - and therefore deemed only worth it for region focused on whites producing countries keep the best drinks large with big budgets – or so from its indigenous grape, Verdejo. Here for themselves, so, while the wider world the thinking goes. Then there’s a feeling is an area so successful that it barely gets a taste of their mainstream offerings, that exporting wine is best done with produces enough wine to satisfy its the domestic market is treated to the local clearly branded products, employing the domestic market, and has become delicacies. After all, the effort involved in most famous noble , not niche virtually synonymous with in creating a following beyond your national wines made from native varieties. With . As a result, almost 85% of Rueda’s boundaries is time consuming and costly, this in mind, let us introduce Rueda – a entire annual production is drunk within

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A taste of Rueda

In June, members of the drinks trade in London were introduced to the wide range of wines from Spain’s best-selling white wine-producing region: Rueda. The event, which took place at Asia House, in the heart of the capital, included youthful, aromatic whites made from and Verdejo, as well as richer, barrel-aged examples from the latter grape, which is native to the region. Attendees were also treated to a Dorado at the end of the masterclass, which is a rare, historic, oxidative, dry that was once widely produced in Rueda and is now making a comeback. Also made using the Verdejo grape, Having recently spent a week in the Dorado tastes a little like a slightly region, it was down to me to provide the fruitier dry oloroso-style , and immersion in all things Rueda at an wowed the London trade with its inaugural London event (Spanish wine nutty complexity and freshness, along The wines, which are specialist and writer Sarah Jane Evans with its potential to match a wide fresh, zesty and slightly MW gave a subsequent masterclass in range of dishes, particularly those Bristol in September). with hard-to-match flavours, such as herbal, are stylistically on To highlight Rueda’s current success, blue cheeses. trend for white wine I felt it important to stress the prevalence The wines served were: of its whites in Spain, despite the 1. Palacio de Bornos Verdejo drinkers worldwide, competition from other white wine Espumoso including those in the UK producing areas in this country, most 2. Agrícola Castellana, Cuatro Rayas notably , and La Mancha. So, Viñedos Centenarios while 40% of Spain’s white wine market 3. Dominio de Verderrubí Verdejo is accounted for by Rueda, the nearest Ecológico competitor region makes up just 10%. 4. González Byass, Beronia Verdejo visiting the nation. Rueda wants to lay a Furthermore, the wines, which are fresh, 5. Javier Sanz Verdejo more secure long-term foundation for its zesty and slightly herbal, are stylistically 6. Finca Montepedroso Verdejo distinctive produce, and tap into a desire on trend for white wine drinkers 7. Castelo de Medina Sauvignon Blanc among wine loving consumers worldwide, including those in the UK. 8. Bodegas Protos Verdejo worldwide for something high quality, Rueda’s wines also benefit from the fact Fermentado en Barrica authentic and tied to a particular place. that they offer something authentic, 9. Félix Sanz Verdejo Fermentado Surely the world would welcome a wine hailing from an area with a long history of en Barrica with a clear regional identity, one that’s wine production, while using 10. Hijos de Alberto Gutiérrez, De fresh in style, as well as affordable? predominantly the native Verdejo grape. Alberto Dorado With this in mind, in the summer the Take the combination of Rueda and drinks business ran a masterclass to open Verdejo, and you have something the eyes of the UK trade to the character memorable. Couple this to the zesty and quality of Rueda. the national borders. Despite such a Taking place in London, it was hoped strong Spanish following, the region that Rueda would appeal to opinion wants to build a customer base formers in this market, and to do this, worldwide. Unlike the scenario presented it was necessary to lay on a presentation above, Rueda doesn’t want to remain a showing what makes Rueda different well-kept secret among Spaniards, or a and special, done through a talk, followed wonderful discovery just for those by a tasting. >

63 aromatic character of the whites, and you just three key regions: Rioja, Jerez and follows the Riscal investment, and in the have a Spanish equivalent to Rueda. Rueda’s modern history is also past 40 years, Rueda has attracted all of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Plus, like important because Rueda was once more Spain’s major players, from Marqués de this latter grape-region combination, famous for fortified wines. It was in the Cáceres, to Ramón Bilbao, Bodegas there is stylistic diversity, even when the 1970s that the change began in earnest, Riojanas, Bujanda, Torres, Freixenet, Félix base variety and source is maintained. after famous Rioja producer Marqués de Solés, and Codorníu, as well as investors Based in the northwest of Spain, Rueda Riscal saw an opportunity in the market from , such as Francois Lurton, sits in the wider area known as Castilla y for dry whites from Spain, and, having maker of Belondrade y Lurton. León, and lays claim to being this part of employed the expertise of great French the country’s first official wine wine consultant Émile Peynaud, found CONSOLIDATED REGION appellation, gaining official DO status in that the quality potential for whites from Today, Rueda comprises more than 70 January 1980. But the region’s wine Spain was in Rueda. wineries, with an average production of history stretches much further back. Although the region has a long history of 1 million to 2m bottles, and just 10 Verdejo has been grown in Rueda for of making white wine, the region’s rebirth producers making fewer than 200,000 more than than 1,000 years. bottles. It is a relatively consolidated Considered native to Rueda, according region, with large-scale, highly to , Verdejo’s sibling is professional operators, and much growth Godello from nearby Galicia, which in recent times. It has more than doubled explains why Verdejo is sometimes called Today, Rueda comprises its output from 40 million bottles to as Gouveio or – both synomyns for many as 90m in the past six years. Godello in . over 70 wineries, with an Planting too has grown, and Rueda is While Verdejo is mostly grown in now reaching its limits. The 2018 Rueda, it is possible to find the grape average production of of 1 was its biggest ever, representing 130 growing in Castilla la Mancha, and, to a million to 2m bottles, and million kilograms of grapes from around lesser extent, in , so it is 16,500ha, but new in the past important to focus on the region, and not just 10 producers making three years have taken the region to a just search for the variety. Indeed, to draw fewer than 200,000 bottles maximum area of 18,500ha. attention to Rueda’s longstanding strong Now that volume expansion has come reputation for wine, a 1932 document to a controlled end, producers are about wine production in Spain mentions refocusing on premiumising their

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Rueda in the UK

There are three reasons why Rueda deserves to be more than a niche category in the UK. First, because of strict quality control by the Rueda DO, coupled with the presence of all of Spain’s major wine companies in the region, whites from Rueda have a high base standard, and yet come with competitive prices. Second, whether made with Sauvignon Blanc, or, much more likely, Verdejo, the whites from Rueda are citrus-scented, gently bitter, bright wines, making them refreshing and stylistically right on trend. Third, with the native grape of Verdejo accounting for more than 85% of the plantings in Rueda, this region represents something that is simple some that were planted over a century So, grapes, production levels, and and authentic; a grape-and-place ago. Other changes are coming into force history aside, what else makes Rueda combination with at least half a soon too, with the regional government special? To understand this, one must century of history that’s easy for expected to approve the addition of consider the region’s . In particular, consumers to remember. and to the its pebble-stone soils and altitude, which In essence, this area is Spain’s classification, as long as the grapes are ranges from around 600 metres to 950m answer to Marlborough Sauvignon, used in a blend with Verdejo, and make above sea level. Inland, the area has a because Rueda represents a region and up less than 50% of the wine. continental climate with extremely harsh grape combination that is memorable, It is worth noting that the region does winters, high summertime temperatures refreshing and identifiable. already produce whites from other with big diurnal swings, and low rainfall authorised grapes, and, although 87% of (300mm-500mm). The area is home to the output is made using Verdejo, further Spain’s most famous wine river, the varieties used in the region include Viura, Duero, which runs through the region production. Some of this centres on and lovely Sauvignon from east to west experimentation in the cellar, with Blanc too (the latter representing around If one considers the stock of ancient wineries commonly featuring concrete 3% of production). bush vines on high altitude sites, along eggs and French barrels, both While just 1% of Rueda’s harvest is red, with the dry conditions, infertile pebbly employed to add texture and complexity there are excellent examples made using soils, and distinctive native Verdejo grape, to the wines during fermentation and the approved grapes of , you can understand why Peynaud was ageing. Verdejo may be an aromatic Cabernet, and Garnacha. drawn to Rueda, and the Spanish wine grape, with some stylistic similarities to consumer has made the region its top Sauvignon Blanc, but it is extremely well- choice for white wine today. suited to barriques. For the world beyond, Rueda can appeal It’s not just cellar practices that are being at different levels. It can draw in the more used to make a more upmarket version of Although just 1% of mainstream drinker by providing Verdejo from Rueda. It’s also the isolation Rueda’s harvest is red, youthful, bright, aromatic whites at a of vineyards of quality – Rueda has an competitive price, and it can excite the amazing stock of extremely old vines. there are excellent more upmarket wine lover with its As a result, Rueda is to create a new examples made using textural wines based around old vine classification for higher-quality Verdejo. But it is still a relative novelty for expressions from low-yielding historic the approved grapes of the global wine market. Considering the vineyards from this , which will be Tempranillo, Cabernet, current urge among consumers to find classed as Rueda Superior. Rueda has as something new and authentic, then, many as 1,600ha of vineyards – Merlot and Garnacha surely, Rueda’s success is assured. representing around 10% of the region – that are more than 40 years old, including

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