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
Cascina Barisél / Franco Penna
With just 5 hectares, Franco Penna's winery is small but exquisite. The estate near Canelli, east of Alba, comprises only the very best south-facing sites with calcareous soils. Franco's father Enrico, who bought the estate in the 1960s, obviously knew what he was doing.
Montepeloso
The Montepeloso winery, located in Maremma, owned by Swiss co-proprietor and estate manager Fabio Chiarelotto, has earned a reputation for outstanding red wines. With a combination of mostly traditional and indigenous grape varieties, but also international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, complex wines with a Mediterranean character are produced. This Tuscan gem is hidden in the hills of Suvereto, near the Tyrrhenian coast — one of the hottest areas of Tuscany.
Tenuta Castello di Morcote
The vineyard of the Tenuta Castello di Morcote is widely held to be one of the most beautiful in Ticino. It lies some 200 metres above the picturesque village of Vico Morcote and offers a stunning view of the mountains and the Lago di Lugano. At the heart of this vineyard are the ruins of the Castello di Morcote.