Sobre Lias is “On the Lees”
World Verdejo Day
One version of the grape’s colorful history is that it began over a thousand years ago when Arab Mozarabs are said to have brought the grape from North Africa to the province of Valladolid in Castilla y León. Another version says that the grape is indigenous to the region and that it was cultivated by […]
Hello Gran Vino de Rueda!
This designation doesn’t come easily. To earn Gran Vino status, the wine must come from vines at least thirty years old; it must be made with fruit that has been culled to no more than about 2,800 tons per acre; and it must be held in bottle, barrel, tank, concrete, clay, or whatever vessel the […]
Grilling Guide with Verdejo
This grape, hailing from Rueda in Spain’s Castilla y León region, brings out the very best in grill fare once you have a little background along with a guide to Verdejo’s best ingredient friends. But first, it helps to look back at the homeland of this storied white wine and at Spanish grilling history and […]
The History of Tapas
In the United States, you will not find such “gifts” at wine bars or at most restaurants when ordering a glass of wine, but in many parts of Spain, the opposite is true. In Southern Spain, order a copa de vino, and chances are a complimentary tapa will accompany your glass of wine. This can […]
White Wine for All Seasons
A wine for all seasons Unlike many white wines, Rueda Verdejo has depth and complexity that winemakers finesse into three main styles. That translates to this singular grape becoming everything from a summer sipper to a winter white, a youthful wine to an aged one. Like the seasons themselves, Verdejo transitions seamlessly and beautifully from […]
The World’s Next Great White Wine
Despite the fact the grape was brought to the area from North Africa ten centuries ago, it’s still nothing short of a miracle that renowned winemakers have been drawn to the area. The climate in Rueda, located in northwest Castilla y León, is harsh. The rocky soils seem as if they would be inhospitable to […]
Get to Know Rueda
When winemaking began in Rueda around 1,000 years ago, it’s a wonder anyone would have thought to plant grapes in this region of extremes – blisteringly hot summers, bitterly cold winters, and a relatively high altitude. Happily, the local monks and the Verdejo grape, native to North Africa, arrived in the region at about the […]
