If you're having one of those days, spare a thought for this chap... hard work:
I took this footage today while visiting some vineyards in a small corner of Spain not often talked about in wine circles. About an hour from the center of Madrid, only 30 minutes from the outskirts, there are wonderful old bush vines tucked away in the most beautiful mountains. This area - around San Martin de Valdeiglesias - is home to many different types of birds, rabbits, wild boar (thankfully didn't see any of those!) and partridges. But most importantly, the local white variety Albillo as well as Garnacha make stunning wines. The vines have to work incredibly hard in this landscape, just like the horse! See why...
I promise this is not the beach! It is incredibly sandy soil, my feet were covered in it. It was bloody hard work getting up the top of the hill. So this is why the horse is needed. No tractor or machine is going to get up these sandy slopes.
The vineyards are completely organic and as you can see, surrounded by gorgeous bush.
So what is the wine from this region like? Well actually it's hard to say in terms of a general region-wide style as there aren't many small producers. There are large co-ops who have bottled generic wine from all over Spain here for years. But this is the cheaper volume end of the market. In recent years, some visionary winemakers have started working with the old bush vines in the area to do some really exciting things...
I've tasted stunning Albillo - both unoaked and aged in barrel - hard to liken it to anything else. Limey, some tropical fruit, a hint of peach, minerality. Very classy stuff. But for me the Garnacha is incredible. Totally different from any other Garnacha or Grenache you would have tasted. In a blind line up, perhaps you'd think Burgundy, maybe northern Rhone, perhaps new world Pinot Noir. It still has the lovely red fruit you'd expect from Garnacha but with an elegance and complexity not often seen in these parts.
I am looking to undertake a project here, very small production, for post 2013 vintage. I know you've got a while to wait but I couldn't keep this to myself for that long. Besides, it's not every day you see a horse hard at work in the vineyards, and it's always good to hear about new things happening in less well-known regions just to be one step ahead of the game!
