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 New
Wave Spanish White Wine
Rueda and Verdejo
Located northwest of Madrid and just southwest of the mythical
Ribera del Duero red wine region, lies the hugely successful
wine appellation of Rueda. Wine has been produced in the Rueda
region commercially since the 11 th century during the reign
of Alfonso XI who was the ruler of the kingdom of Castilla
y Leon (the castle and the lion). Rueda was destroyed by the
Moors in the 10 th century during the ongoing battles and the
area was depopulated until Alfonso XI, as a last effort to
save the region from complete destruction, declared that anyone
working the land would gain ownership of it. In came the monastic
orders and wine production was begun in earnest. Sherry style
wines (oxidised) were made in Rueda for centuries from the
native Verdejo grape. Rueda wines came to be particularly adored
by the Royal Courts.
Like many other wine regions in Europe, Rueda suffered in
the first half of the 20 th century. The Spanish civil war
and the dictatorship under Franco did nothing to benefit the
local wine industry. It wasn’t until Marques de Riscal,
the famed Rioja winery, arrived to Rueda in 1971 that the region
came back into relevance for wine lovers. The region was revolutionized
with the new ideas and technology Marques de Riscal brought,
and has become famous for producing delightful, fresh and fruity
white wines from the Verdejo grape (as opposed to unfashionable,
Sherry style wines). Riscal also introduced Sauvignon Blanc
to the Rueda wine region, which they discovered blended sublimely
with Verdejo. These days, Rueda is wildly successful and producing
amazingly good value for money fruity wines that are regularly
compared to French Sancerres and New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs.
Top Rueda wineries producers include: Marques de Riscal, Castilla
la Vieja, Yllera and Aura
Related links
Cellar Tours - Unforgettable
wine tours through some of the most charming, untouched wine
regions
in the world.
Cellar
Tastings - Detailed information on gourmet and culinary
activities, wine and winery information, food and wine tours
and other forms of unique travel for the Gourmand, and various
fun and educational events related to the world of food and
wine. |
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