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falls in the winter months, while the sunshine is more or less unchecked for six months a year. To put it in context, Utiel-Requena’s 2,800 hours of sun a year Discovering is 30% more than that enjoyed by the vignerons of Bordeaux. It’s not a place for the faint-hearted, though. This is a tough climate in many respects: sub-zero in winter and baking in Utiel-Requena the heat of a summer’s afternoon. But that altitude makes a huge difference. While the mercury can hit 37°C on an This Spanish region benefits from unique growing conditions August afternoon, it often drops to 15°C and is the heartland of native grape, , yet many drinkers at night. This enormous diurnal shift means vines can recover from the heat have never tried its . Seek out a new side of , and grapes can hang onto some of their and find wines to taste, with our guide precious acidity. Long history ine lovers are always history and has as its Valencia. It’s the home of paella, so worth Unique climate Perhaps the regularity of sunshine, the looking for two things: the defining characteristic a grape variety stopping for a meal if you can. All of this makes for a continental climate paucity of summer rainfall and the little-known producer who’s that’s both widely planted and Here you need to turn your back on with Mediterranean influences, which mitigating cool nights is what attracted about to step up into the barely known. We’ll come back the Mediterranean and head due west, basically means hot and dry with some some of the continent’s earliest bigW league, or the unknown country or to Bobal in a minute. inland towards the high dry lands of the mitigating effects from the sea – at least winemaking civilisations. region that can bring wow factor to a First, let’s pinpoint the region Spanish interior. Some 80km later, you for the easternmost . Utiel-Requena is home to the oldest dinner party or tasting. Everyone likes to on a map. If you were driving will be in Utiel-Requena. Essentially, though, grape-growing in commercial in the whole of the be surprised by something unexpected… south down Spain’s east coast The DO (Denominación de Origen) this region is about heat, dryness and Iberian Peninsula. The site at Las Pilillas So step forward Utiel-Requena, a from Barcelona (a long drive, is on a high plateau, and its vines are altitude. The region’s terracotta soils produced large amounts of wine for paradoxical region that’s a ‘new arrival’ admittedly) when you’re about planted, broadly speaking, 600-900m (alluvial and clay with limestone deposits) trade from the 6th century BCE. Its old despite having 2,700 years of halfway down you hit the city of above sea level. only get 450mm of rain a year, and that stone troughs and channels will ➢ PROMOTIONAL FEATURE PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Utiel-Requena top buys: 11 great wines to try

Valsangiacomo, bobal deSanJuan 2018 Vinos Sierra Norte, Pasión de Bobal 2017 Dominio de la Vega, Paraje Tornel 2016 UK stockist: Bibendum, Matthew Clark UK stockist: Boutinot UK stockist: Jeroboams, Laytons USA stockist: Looking for an importer USA stockist: Looking for an importer USA stockist: Searching for an importer 100% bobal, old bush vines, non- Deep black cherry colour with nice red This 100% old vines Bobal is a full and irrigated, 750m above sea level, berry and black fruit aromas, such as structured one. Everything is together fermented and matured 10 months in strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants with impeccable balance of ripe fruit raw concrete. Colour: Garnet red with underpinned by creamy, slightly toasty with complex character. Full purple hues. Aromas of red berries with with touches of spice and liquorice. bodied yet melts into fine elegant light floral notes (violets) and spices Fruit-forward, with rounded tannins, tannins. Everlasting, fresh, juicy and dense (pepper and liquorice). Drink 2020-2025 good acidity and hints of vanilla, smoke mineral finish. Great joy of single- Alc 13.5%. 93 points - Silver Medal - and toast. Drink 2020-2025 Alc 14%. Bobal! Drink 2020-2026 Alc 14.5%. Decanter Asia Wine Awards 2019 93 points - Silver Medal – Decanter 94 points - Silver Medal – Decanter World World Wine Awards 2019 Wine Awards 2019

reduce every wine-loving visitor to organic . reverential silence. Connecting back Stylistically, Bobal can provide through the millennia, they are a approachable red-fruited young wines – Bodegas Torre Oria, Viñedo Antiguo 2018 , Estenas 2018 Coviñas, Veterum Vitium by Coviñas reminder of just how long and proud the think raspberry, cherry and floral www.torreoria.com USA stockist: Llaurador Wines LLC 2016 history of grape-growing and winemaking top-notes – through to darker, more Deeply coloured, juicy made Nice purple colour with violet reflects. www.covinas.com in this area actually is – established and intense blackberry, chocolate and wild with Bobal grapes coming from Nose shows ripe red fruits, red plumps, Veterum vitium is made exclusively with organised six centuries before the first herb offerings. The latter often come 80-year-old vines. An enormous depth strawberries, with fragrant new oak the oldest vines in the area (>80 years Roman legions marched in. from the top and older vines, of dark fruits, warm spice and rich in aromas. Palate is dry, with a perfectly old), manual harvested and selected Archaeologists in the region have of which there are many. Astonishingly, body while keeping a luscious softness. balanced acidity, a warm sensation and and oaked for 3 to 6 months. A balanced also discovered the remains of amphoras half of the DO’s Bobal vines are over Succulent and velvety, with sweet berry nice ripe tannins giving a velvety wine, with smooth and silky tannins and from the 7th century BCE, belonging to 40 years old, and with their lower yields flavours and a long and silky finish. sensation and delicate flavours. persistent fruit on the palate. the Phoenicians. In a lovely illustration these old vines provide the ultimate Drink 2020-2022 Alc 13% Drink 2020-2025 Alc 14.2% Drink 2020-2030 Alc 13.5% of the timelessness of winemaking, some expression of the variety, with real depth of the region’s wineries are today using and complexity. clay vessels once again for ageing and The key to understanding Bobal, fermentation. however, is, perhaps, not just its flavours ‘Astonishingly, half of but its structure. Its thick skins give it a The grapes natural vibrancy of colour, and silky, Pago de Tharsys, Tharsys Único Brut Chozas Carrascal, Las Dosces Tinto Bodegas Faustino Rivero Ulecia, There have, of course, been changes the DO’s Bobal vines savoury tannins. Scientific studies have Reserva 2016 2018 Faustino Rivero Ulecia 2013 down the centuries. International grape proved that those skins also make Bobal Looking for an importer UK stockist: C&D Wines. UK stockist: GM Drinks varieties, such as , are over 40 years old’ high in the antioxidant resveratrol which Pale, raw yellow in colour, the fine USA stockists: Dársena (California), USA stockist: Looking for an importer and have been planted makes them good for the heart. delicate bubbles release a bouquet of Wine for the World (NY) Ruby colour with violaceous and reddish and are used for single varietal wines ‘bovale’, meaning ‘bull’s head’. It’s But – crucially – as well as tannin, the Mediterranean fruits such as apricot, A singular freshness, wild bobal hints. Notes of ripe fruit, black plum and and in blends. In whites, alongside supposedly a reference to the shape of whole wine is underpinned by a naturally quince, apple and pear, all mixed with character but tame and elegant. In nuances of toast. With good body, Spanish stalwart , there are the grape bunches, and while you might crisp acidity. It’s not something you’d subtle undertones of breadcrumbs, toasted palate it shows a good body, silky wine velvety and round. Serve at 16 to 18 º C. zesty Sauvignon Blancs and (often need to squint to make that work, what’s expect from such a hot climate and it’s almonds and white flowers. This blanc but also structured. It has a rich acidity Meat dishes, stews and cured cheeses. barrel-aged) Chardonnays. undeniably clear is that the grape is as one of the reasons why the grape has de noirs spends minimum 38 months in and great presence of aromatic fruits. Drink 2020-2023 Alc 13% Yet one of the beauties of brilliantly suited to its environment as any always been popular for making rosé. the cellar. Drink 2020-2023 Alc 12% Drink 2020-2023 Alc 13.5% Utiel-Requena is that this is a wine region proud Spanish . In the hands of a skilled and ambitious that still very much has a unique focus. winemaker – of which there are many And that focus is the Bobal grape variety. Bobal benefits among the 5,000-plus families working in Pronounced ‘Bow-bal’ (with a hard ‘a’) For starters, it’s a sturdy and tough vineyards and wineries across the DO the grape is widely planted across variety: highly disease-resistant but also – Bobal can make red wines that are both Bodegas Nodus, Nodus Bobal 2017 BVC Bodegas, Toro Loco Reserva 2015 Spain – particularly in the east. But in brilliant at absorbing water, which is accessible and refreshing when young, Looking for an importer www.toroloco.wine Utiel-Requena it’s very much the star of important in such a dry region. Add these but also have the structure to age. An intense red cherry colour with dark Red still wine - vegan. Attractive ripe fruit the show, making up over 70% of the two elements together and you have a Bobal can be bright and fresh as the red fruits aromas balanced with smooth notes: plum, dark cherry coupled with DO’s plantings. All of the wineries that grape that requires very little input from Mediterranean breeze or poetic and toasted notes and spicy, liquorice hues. hints of vanilla. A delightful balanced their own wine do at least one the grower. That’s great news for the brooding like the high lands of the On the palate a well-rounded wine with with velvety tannins and great complexity. single-varietal Bobal. increasing number of farmers who are sierras. It can, in other words, capture light touches of smoky, toasted vanilla. Aged for 3 years including 1 year in American Its name comes from the Latin now shifting to minimum intervention or the soul of a very special region. Drink 2019-2022 Alc 13.5% oak barrels. Drink 2020-2022 Alc 13%