WINES OF MANCHUELA 'An Expression of the Land' by PHILIP S. KAMPE

Recently, on this website, I wrote an article about the D.O wines from MANCHUELA, a region in Spain. The wines are great, but, difficult to find. Thanks to Melanie Young and her faithful crew, I was invited to a tasting of 'VINOS D.O. MANCHUELA'.

What I learned was that the reds are made up of the native varietal, BOBAL, primarilly, while the whites lean towards the local grape, MACABEO. TEMPRANILLO, also, plays a major part as the other red varietal.

I met and tasted wines from many winemakers, who were present to explain about the grapes and their vineyards.

Michael Apstein, a wine column contributor to the Boston Globe and San Francisco Chronicle,
was the moderator for the tasting. His comments and insights contributed greatly to the history and present day status of the Wines from Manchuela.

These wines are hard to find, but, well worth the journey.

The wines that create the MANCHELA WINE EXPERIENCE are:

ALTOS del CABRIEL 2009
MACABEO (White)
100% Macabeo
well structred...tropical fruits..white flowers

AZUA BOBAL ROBLE 2007
100% Bobal (Red)
soft...fruity...flowery

QUANTUM 2008
Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon
fresh...fruity...forward...with tannins

VILLAVID CRIANZA 2004
100% Tempranillo
tannins...intense...in oak...long finish.

SENORIO del JUCAR RESERVA 2003
Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon
ripe fruit...well structured...tannins

AZUA BOBSL CRIANZA 2006
100% BOBAL
blackberry...toasted oak...tannins...structure

All of these wines are worth investigating.
SPAIN is on the radar.
For more information on the wines from this Region, contact http://www.do-manchuela.com/

PHILIP S. KAMPE