Bodegas Campos Reales
The landscape of Meseta Central stretches out endlessly to include La Mancha, the land of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, and also Spain's largest wine region.
The heart of the Iberian peninsula is characterised by an extremely continental climate with scorching summers and freezing winters. Luckily, the scarce downpours are aptly retained by the calciferous loamy soil in order to enable the vines' survival. Quite often, these are very old, gnarled, and stunted in their growth. In order to shield the grapes from the torrid heat using their leaves, the vines still are often reared low to the ground in the traditional manner -- also known as bush vines or 'en vaso'.
Red wines from Bodegas Campos Reales
from Bodegas Campos Reales
Next to Tempranillo or its local nomenclature Cencibel, the Bodegas Campos Reales also cultivate since 1950 many other grape varieties: Garnacha, Tintorera, Bobal, and white varieties such as Airén (which incidentally claims the largest vine area worldwide) or Macabeo, to name a few.
This is yet another case in which tradition meets modernity. The cellar's implementation of the latest vinification infrastructure does not exclude traditional processes such as hand-picking (which also applies to simple wines), the nurturing of the vines, the preservation of indigenous grape varieties, or the ageing in barriques. Led by a young, dedicated and highly specialised team, the bodega belongs to those vineyards propagating the self-proclaimed revolution of the Mancha wines and which carries its reputation worldwide of having an amazing price/pleasure ratio.
Producer
Marchesi Alfieri
At the intersection of Roero, Langhe and Monforte, between Asti and Alba, lies the small medieval village of San Martino Alfieri. The magnificent baroque castle of the Marchesi Alfieri and the Azienda building are located on the hill.
Maria Casanovas
The Bodega or Cava Maria Casanovas is located in the heart of the Penedès, in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, the centre of Cava production. It is owned by the Casanovas family and managed by three children of Maria Casanovas. Jordi and Jacint are responsible for the vineyards and the cellar, Rosa for administration and marketing.
Weingut Nicolussi-Leck
The Kreithof, as the ancestral estate is known, is located near the idyllic Lake Caldaro in South Tyrol (Alto Adige) and has been cultivated by the Nicolussi-Leck family since 1915. Standing guard over it are the medieval ruins of Leuchtenburg Castle, which – like the estate – dates back to the 13th century and was presumably also associated with nearby Laimburg Castle in the Etsch Valley.