Founded in 1940, Viñedos y Bodegas Muñoz started as a small plantation in the town of Noblejas, in the heart of La Mancha. Today, it farms 400 ha of gnarled old vines, with an average age of 40 years; and its winemaking facilities include 1,500 ageing barrels and a state-of-the-art bottling line that ensures clean, fruity wines.

Muñoz is ranked among the pioneers of La Mancha’s wine community, and has for many years championed improvements in the quality and longevity of the region’s wines. The third generation of the family currently lives on the estate, above the 17th-century cellar where the best of Muñoz wines enjoy a “calm, transcendental” period of maturation.

The bodega also produces a second brand, Artero, named after the street where the winery’s founder, Blas Muñoz García de la Rosa, was born and raised.

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DO La Mancha

Famous for windmills, saffron and Don Quixote, Spain’s La Mancha is also the world’s biggest single delimited wine region, encompassing a jaw-dropping 30,000km². Located on the meseta plateau (500-900m) 60km SE of Madrid, the extent of its DO-classified vineyards alone (which are only half the total) exceeds that of all of Australia’s combined!

The unforgiving climate sees little rain and summer temperatures of 45° Celsius and up. The Moors, themselves no strangers to hot places, christened the region ‘Manxa’, meaning ‘parched earth.’ Yields are tiny and the vines have to be spaced widely so as not to overtax the arid land, but the severe conditions make it impossible for pests to thrive and so the vines and grapes are unusually healthy.

La Mancha’s specialty used to be a pale but strong red wine that was actually made with white grape Airén tinted with red juice. But since the 1990s the trend has been to make ‘proper’ reds, mostly from Cencibel, the local name for Tempranillo, Garnacha (Grenache), Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah. Drought-hardy Airén, Viura, Chardonnay and (surprisingly for so torrid a region) Sauvignon Blanc make up the light-skinned complement.

Of the 2 million hectolitres of wine made in La Mancha each year, a variable but significant proportion is distilled and used for the characterful Andalusian spirit, Brandy de Jerez.

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See all the NEW WINES HERE or click on the individual wines below for detailed information and tasting notes!

€10.49 Legado Muñoz Garnacha IGP Castilla 2011

€10.49 Legado Muñoz Tempranillo IGP Castilla 2012

€10.99 Artero Tempranillo DO La Mancha 2012

€12.49 Artero Crianza DO La Mancha 2010

€13.99 Artero Reserva DO La Mancha 2008

€14.99 Finca Muñoz Barrel Aged IGP Castilla 2008

€23.00 Finca Muñoz Cepas Viejas IGP Castilla 2009

Bienvenido Muñoz and Curious Mike at Bodegas Muñoz, April 2013.

Bodegas Valtravieso enjoys a privileged location at 900 metres above sea level in the heart of Ribera del Duero, surrounded by its vineyards in the fashion of a French chateau.

The first vines were planted on the ‘La Revilla’ estate in 1985 but it was a full decade later before the first vintage of Valtravieso was produced, the 1994 Crianza, released to market in 1996.

The new venture continued with very small production until 2002 when the winery was acquired by the Gonzalez Beteré family who recognised the quality and potential of the estate. With a vision and philosophy of combining traditional production methods with modern technology, a new state-of-the-art winery was completed in 2007.

The Valtravieso estate now comprises 73 hectares of vineyards in four distinct sub-terrains, and produces four levels of wines under Ribera del Duero DO regulations, from Joven (young) to Reserva (aged for a minimum of 3 years, with at least 12 months in oak).

Best buy: Valtravieso Oak Aged 2010 (€13.99) From an acclaimed 2010 vintage, 6 months in oak has produced a powerful and fruit driven wine with a persistent, dark fruit & chocolate richness to the finish.

See the new range from Bodegas Valtravieso here.

In our view, and that of many much more expert in the area, Rioja Alavesa is the pick of the three Rioja communes. Protected from the north by the Sierra de Cantabria and the fertile Ebro Valley to the south, its limestone-based soil is particularly poor. That’s a good thing for vines. It means they must work harder and dig deeper for nutrients, and with judicious planting – low vine density and wide-spacing between rows – higher quality and better varietal expression.

In the heart of Rioja Alavesa, in the village of Elvillar de Álava, Fernando Meruelo and Félix Revuelta have created Lar de Paula, bringing the best of traditional practices in line with modern equipment, facilities and winemaking techniques.

The winery itself has been built with a single purpose in mind: transforming the finest grapes into great wine through a process in which excellence is the primary concern. Temperature controls, stainless steel tanks, exhaustive monitoring at every stage – everything is geared towards the optimum evolution of their wines.

Parker’s just rated them too, check out those scores!

Best buy: Lar de Paula Crianza 2008 (€13.99) 100% Tempranillo aged in American and French oak for 12 months, this is an intense mix of black fruit, aromatic spices and toasty new wood.

See the new range from Lar de Paula here.

Navarra, known in English as Navarre, is a wine region in north east Spain, and effectively a north eastern extension of Rioja. It’s a region producing some quality stuff, without perhaps the mark up that might come with some Rioja’s. That’s not to say Rioja doesn’t do ‘value’. Spain as a whole is probably producing the best value around at the moment, and Navarra is one of the regions honouring that ‘good bang for your buck’ tag.

Once dominated by Garnacha (Grenache), they greatly satisfied the demands of a large domestic market for their love of light and fruity rosés. Garnacha works well for rosé because its skins are light and this transfers well to an appealing colour in the wine. With a bit of foresight, however, it was soon realised that rosé alone wouldn’t be enough to secure long term sustainability and success.

After a mainly government funded research programme in the 1990s, growers were encouraged to plant Tempranillo (of course) along with a number of international varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and even Syrah were planted, and instead of American oak, which is more traditional in Rioja, producers invested in the slightly less aggressive French oak. Today we see Navarran wines made up of a much wider selection of grape varieties than Rioja, and mainly aged in French oak. Whites wines account for less than 10% of the region’s production, with Viura and Macabeo grown alongside the very international Chardonnay grape.

No one has a complete free reign in Navarra as there are restrictions on what can and cannot be grown if you’re going to make a wine and have ‘Navarra’ on the label. The region is also divided up into five sub-regions, all with their own characteristics and unique terroir. The cooler Baja Montaña area to the north has been subject to a lot of the more recent plantings and lies at the Pyrenean foothills. Of the five, Ribera Baja has the biggest share of production, around 30%. It is in the south were it is a little warmer and drier.

Once a kingdom, Navarra used to stretch from La Rioja to Bordeaux. Smaller and lesser known today, it is the place to go for good bargain reds. Rich, intense and concentrated, the best retain a lightness and elegance but not without lashings of red fruit and hints of toasty oak. A winter warmer or a BBQ’s best friend, Navarra makes superb everyday wines for all year round.

To view our wines from Pago de Cirsus of Navarra, chosen as one of Decanter’s 100 best wineries in the world, click here.

In our first interview with a female winemaker (about time!), Carmen Blanco, winemaker at Castelo de Medina, gives us the low-down on what makes the great whites of Rueda so great, not taking into account the feminine touch. Pictured, Carmen (left) with assistant winemaker Sara Román.

To view our post on the new wines from Castelo de Medina, click here.

1. Verdejo – could it be the next Sauvignon Blanc in terms of popularity, and is it better after time in oak?

Probably not because of where we can grow it. Verdejo is a native grape with both special soil and weather conditions. We grow Sauvignon blanc in Loire, California, South Africa, New Zealand, Rueda, Somontano… There is Verdejo in La Mancha but it is proven that they cannot get the same character from the grape that we do in Rueda.

Verdejo has great backbone, so it adapts very well to aging. We actually produce two aged Verdejos which we could lay down for eight years.

2. What makes the region so special for white wine production, and what makes Bodegas Castelo de Medina unique to other Rueda wineries?

Rueda rises 800 metres above the sea-level. This is a high flat between mountains and it is influenced by depressions of the Duero River. Its climate is continental. There are huge differences in temperatures between the day and the night along a year. Its soil is poor, gravelled and sandy with some limestone.

Actually, summertime, we have 30º during the day and 10º during the night. During the day we get the ripeness of the grapes. During the night it refreshes and preserves all the properties obtained during the day, which is very important for our acidity level. You need these conditions to make a good white wine with well-balanced alcohol and acidity, especially for our native Verdejo.

Winter is also extreme. We have frosts of -10º in the night while during the day we can have 10º. Spring and autumn are non-existent. In our region we say “Nueve meses de invierno, tres de infierno” which means: “Nine months of winter, three of hell”.

At Castelo de Medina we offer wines that are sourced from our own vineyards, which today, in Rueda, is a guarantee of quality because we make and control everything in the Winery. Our traceability is as it should always be in the “food sector”. We grow, we harvest, we make the wine, we package and we sell it. So we can say we offer some of the best value for money in the region. We  export to 23 countries (9 states of US included), we have the experience to adapt our packaging to other markets (labels, bottles, cork, screw cap, capsules…) and we are well open to new challenges.

3. Which wine(s) were you most pleased with from the 2011 vintage, and how is 2012 shaping up with such changeable weather this summer?

Castelo de Medina Verdejo Selección 2011. Aromatic on the nose with flowers and fruits and roasted hints from two months ageing in French barrel. On the palate is very well-balanced, fresh with a lingering finish. It has only just become available to market.

In 2012 we are experiencing a dryness so we can expect a smaller production but with an higher quality. It happened during vintage 2005 too.

4. Is it fair to compare the white wines of New Zealand with Rueda, and where would you go if you could no longer make wine in Spain?

No, it is unfair. New-Zealand offers good wines too but in a very different way. I experienced myself making wine in New Zealand in Morton Estate Winery. In Rueda we still make wine in a traditional way and philosophy with strict and tight rules under an Appellation of Origin. Our vineyards are smaller and we have native grapes also: Verdejo and Viura. Using oak chips and chaptalising (I mean adding sugar) are two techniques which are totally forbidden under Rueda Appellation.

If I had to leave Spain I would like to go to France. Their concept of winemaking and quality control is similar. France is the motherland of the wine too.

5. What is your favourite part of the winemaking process and why?

To define which type of wine we are going to make from the vineyard and acting on this during the harvest.

6. Do you have a desert island wine? One wine you would take to heaven with you if you could?

Castelo de Medina Verdejo Selección 2011, my best white wine ever. [looks like we'll have to get some of that!]

To view the range from Castelo de Medina, click here, all with 20% off until the end of August.

With the increased interest in the white wines of Spain, particularly those of Rueda, it made sense for us to expand our range from Castelo de Medina, from whom we’ve been carrying a Sauvignon Blanc since we started Curious Wines back in 2008. Numerous vintage changes later, the Sauvignon has a better following than ever, but now the range has four additional wines from the Verdejo grape variety, ranging from dry, fresh, light and easy drinking, to full bodied and creamy with added complexity from oak aging.

The Winery, pictured among its vineyards at the bottom of this post, was founded in 1996 with vineyards (planted in 1990) covering 190 hectares, of which 160 correspond to white grapes (Verdejo, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Viura) and the remainder to red varietals. From the outside the winery is traditionally Castilian in architecture, with face brick, stone, wrought iron and wood, however the inside is geared with the most modern and advanced winemaking equipment around.

The first Denomination of Origin (D.O.) recognised in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León, the D.O. Rueda was authorised on 12 January 1980. This denomination rises between 700 and 800 metres above sea level, with flat but high lands that bear up under very long, cold winters, short springs with late frost and hot, dry summers. The dark grey lands are rich in calcium and magnesium, stony but easy to work, with good aeration and drainage.

Valdepelayo Rueda Verdejo 2011

Valdepelayo is a good place to start if you’ve never tried Verdejo before. If it has Verdejo on the label, D.O. Rueda allows up to 15% Sauvignon Blanc in the blend, which is the case with this wine, giving a subtle nettley lift to the nose and a touch extra acidity on the palate.

Real Castelo Rueda Verdejo 2011

Mike and I discovered this properly in a tapas bar in Madrid. Dangerously drinkable, and like the Valdepelayo above, Sauvignon Blanc accounts for 15% of the blend. An aromatic, appley and herbaceous nose leads to a racy and refreshing palate. Great summer wine.

Castelo de Medina Verdejo 2011

Our only 100% Verdejo does this fabulous grape variety justice, expression all the best characteristics, including that distinctive weightiness to the palate that you won’t find with every Sauvignon Blanc you could buy around the same price. It’s all about the freshness of fruit, grassy aromas and balanced acidity at the moment, but given more time I can see it developing a more savoury edge, perhaps a sort of nuttiness.

Castelo Noble 2009

This is probably the most serious of the lot. The lovely thing about Verdejo is that it takes very well to oak. The Noble has been barrel fermented instead of the normal fermentation in stainless steel. It is then aged for a further six months in oak, enough time for it to impart subtle yeasty vanilla, almond and butterscotch flavours. Being an ’09, the intensity of the fruit is still there but just a little more restrained than the unoaked Verdejo above.

For the full range from Castelo de Medina, click here, all with 20% off until the end of August.

Verdejo is a grape variety I find a lot more people are on the look out for these days. We’ve taken in four new ones recently from Castelo de Medina in Rueda, so it’s conveniently coincided with somewhat of a craving for something different and that feel good Tuesday feeling when I trick myself into believing it’s late enough in the week to crack open a nice bottle of white.

What’s to like, or what’s not to like? Well, there’s not too much to not like and I think that’s why it’s appeal is so wide, despite it remaining relatively hard to come across in off-licences and supermarkets. It offers a nice alternative to Sauvignon Blanc because the acidity isn’t usually as prominant, and compared to Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio it can have more of a pronounced flavour. I think the inexpensive PGs and Chards can at times lack flavour and character, so perhaps Verdejo is the better option in and around €10.

Verdejo shares some similarities with Sauvignon in that it is fresh and vibrant in its youth, but it also has a lovely oily texture, just giving it a little more body. It can be quite herbaceous and there’s also an interesting nutty character that develops with age. Where it really gets exciting is when the winemaker decides to use oak. In fact, I think it takes to oak and time in bottle better than most Sauvignon does. Make way for some almond, cedar, butterscotch and vanilla if that is your thing.

For comparison, try the Italian Poggiobello Sauvignon Blanc alongside the Real Castelo Noble Verdejo to see how oak really can add extra layers of flavour, and for a the straight unoaked versions, try the Castelo de Medina Verdejo with the Marlborough-like Castelo de Medina Sauvignon Blanc.

The question is not really about Verdejo being better than Sauvignon, it’s looking at whether we have something that is ready to pip Sauvignon Blanc to number one. Even after all this time it will be a hard one to shake, but Spain is certainly where the value is at at the moment, and with Verdejo playing such an important role in Rueda there should be more of it coming our way, even if they do allow up to 15% Sauvignon as part of the final blend.

My three brothers and I all share a common interest. We love football. So each year, this being our second year, we’ll head off together to watch a match in Europe. It’s a pact we made a few years ago that we’re determined not to break. Last year it was Real Madrid, and the weekend just past it was Barcelona. So you can see we’ve made an impressive start. Munich is pencilled in for next year. God willing.

Like last year, we had another early start Saturday morning, catching the 6.50am flight from Dublin. We got checked into our hostel around 11.30am local time. I would recommend to anyone staying in Barcelona, check out Casa Gracia. It is centrally located, spotlessly clean and superb value for money. With the match being played the following evening, we had Saturday to check out the city, and in true Kane form, sample the food and drink, which we did with glee. I can’t say it didn’t at times get a little messy, or Messi I should say.

On Sunday we went to see Gaudí’s Gothic masterpiece, Sagrada Família, which is the colossal Cathedral they’ve been building since 1882. I tried to prepare myself for it, I’d heard great things, but my jaw still hit the floor as I walked out of the subway. It is overwhelmingly impressive. Then to La Boqueria, Barcelona’s famous market which dates back to the 1200′s. The only problem with being a visitor is you really can’t take much back with you. That’s why I love being so close to the English Market and the Midleton Market in Cork, where the produce is different but just as good in its own right.

In Madrid we fell in love with the bar hopping and the tapas scene. In Barcelona it didn’t take us too long to realise that tapas are not in fact pivotal to the Catalan culture. We gathered that it was there more for the tourists, hence us. Although the quality was there, we were paying a slight premium compared to prices in the less frequented Madrid. We found ourselves making hard work of trying to find the kind of places that were in abundance on last years trip – small, old, rustic, independently owned eateries with real character that were packed with locals, had a roaring atmosphere, and who were serving up no nonsense, hearty tucker with cheap but very drinkable beer and wine.

Barcelona, is certainly more geared towards the tourist, but that’s not to say that we didn’t find consistently good food. There’s no doubt the ingredients they have at their disposal is something else. Not far from the city is the wine region of Penedès, so we were in the heart of Cava country. Brut Cava and Brut Cava Rosé both got a seeing to on the Saturday. The white Verdejo and the red crianza Rioja was also enjoyed, and it was easy to pick up a good bottle in a centrally located restaurant for around €12 or €13. So it was still comparatively cheaper to home.

Finally, the football, the whole experience only being enhanced by the venue, the incredible 98,000 capacity Camp Nou stadium, the biggest in Europe. This current Barcelona team is arguably the best football team the world has ever seen. That’s why we just had to see them while they were still in their pomp. The team who were at the end of the sword on Sunday night was Valencia, a brilliant club that we’re considering going to see in year 5 or 6 of our annual football trip. They scored the first, which I was hoping for, just to see the reaction from the Catalans. But what happened next was a massacre of intricate passing, heart-stopping skill, devastating pace and ruthless finishing. The man at the centre of it all – Lionel Messi – the little Argentine who could well be the greatest ever footballer ever.

On a whole, it was a fantastic weekend. Barcelona ticked all the right boxes, and whether you’re going for football, a romantic weekend or a family holiday, it comes highly recommended from us. But don’t forget the often forgotten Madrid for something a little more true to Spain.

In DO Toro, in Spain’s southwest, Tempranillo is called Tinta de Toro. In Ribera del Duero it can be referred to as Tinto Fino or Tinta del pais. In Do la Mancha it is often called Cencibel, or in Catalonia, Ull de Llebre. The most common name used for Spain’s indigenous and best known grape variety is of course Tempranillo, thought to be derived from temprano (early), due to its tendency to ripen earlier than other grape varieties.

Although this all sounds a little odd (why not just give the thing a common name we can all use!?), winemakers believe this conveys the concept that Tempranillo has an ability to adapt over centuries to different terroirs, or terruños as it is known in Spain, and climatic conditions to express an identity and character specific to each place of origin. Some liken it to Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir in the sense that it can take on minute variations in terroir.

As an example, Tinta de Toro bunches and grapes are smaller than those of the Tempranillo found in Rioja. With skins twice as thick and darker in colour, they have adapted to the greater temperature of the Duero Valley. The result is a very dark, inky colour; exuberant aromas, very expressive, concentrated flavours and one of the most powerfully structured wines from Spain.

In order to tame the beast, producers blend selected parcels from certain vineyards to achieve better balance, and many are now holding back release to market for a year or two to give the wines more time to mellow. Better winemaking allows for a wine to be crafted that is no longer over-extracted, over-oaked or too high in alcohol. Elegance and poise is the name of the game these days, although the beast still rears its head from time to time. Or at least a slightly more refined beast.

There’s still time to avail of 20% off all Spainish wines, including the Quinta el Refugio Tinta de Toro, on sale until the end of February.

I have a bit of thing for Albariño, as do many curious wine drinkers it would seem. It’s really caught on in the last few years. Our latest addition to the range is something we’ve been after for a while now. A good quality, reasonably priced Albariño that slips into the €10-€15 price bracket, and we’ve found it in the form of the Namorío Albariño.

The Namorío is made by Bodegas Valdamor, who also produce (the clue is in the name) the Valdamor Albariño, which has been on our list since day one. Although the Valdamor represents smashing value for money and has developed a very loyal following over the years, we wanted something at a lower price point. In steps the Namorío, retailing at €14.99, or €11.99 as part of our Spanish sale, which is ongoing until the end of February.

Like Pinot Noir and Riesling, I’m not sure we’ll ever see Albariño super cheap, like the tons of sub €10 Pinot Grigio and Cabernet we see all the time. And if it was it wouldn’t be making the impression on people that it is.

It’s a fickle grape variety, and with its thick skins and large number of pips it needs to be managed carefully to avoid any kind of bitterness in the final wine. As well as this, in comparison to the noble grape varieties (Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon et al), it is not widely grown outside of Spain, so it’s a bit of a Spanish specialty. Portugal also produces its fair share, but essentially it’s not one of those variety’s that will just produce results anywhere it is grown.

If you’ve tried Albariño before, you may have an idea of what to expect. Peach and apricot leap out of the glass, and then what makes them almost dangerously drinkable, that lightness on the palate and the slightest touch of residual sweetness from the soft ripe fruit. Bodegas Valdamor are quite unique in that they only work with Albariño. They don’t produce any other wines.

If they did, they’d probably be the best winery in the world.

For more information on Albariño: Rías Baixas / To view Namorío Albariño, on sale this month, click here.