Spanish Wines from D.O. La Mancha (Asia Roadshow 2017) in Singapore

Wine producers from D.O. La Mancha were in town on 29 March (as part of a Asia Road Show) to showcase their wines. Pictures of this event can be viewed via the following link:

D.O. La Mancha Asia Roadshow Photo Album

When in this part of the world, they took the opportunity to meet wine importers at Chengdu (China), Seoul (S. Korea) and Singapore as well. This time round, there were 10 wineries from La Mancha participating in this event held at Raffles Hotel (Singapore).

They were:
Bodegas El Progreso
Bodegas Parra Jimenez
Dominio de Punctum Organic & Biodynamic Wines
Bodegas Yuntero
Bodegas Santa Catalina
Vinicola de Tomelioso
Bogarve 1915
inos Coloman
Virgen de las Vinas Bodega y Almazara
Aliozo – Centro Espanolas

Masterclass
The day started off with a masterclass on La Mancha wines. It was conducted by local wine educator and writer Edwin Soon.

Edwin Soon

 He took the opportunity to share with attendees information on the climate, geography, viticulture and vinification practices of this region as well as the wine classification system practised in Spain. We also had a guided tasting of 10 wines during this session to appreciate the characteristics of this region’s wines.

The wines were:
Besana Real Verdejo 2016
Anil Fresh Macabeo-Chardonnay 2016
Los Galanes Tempranillo 2016
Tentadero Sin Sulfito 2016
Ojos del Guadiana Seleccion 2015
Lacruz Vega Terroir 2013
Uno De Mil Tempranillo Petit Verdot 2012
Tomillar Crianza 2013
Yuntero Reserva 2010
Allozo Tempranillo Gran Reserva 2008

Whites
The trade tasting was held in the afternoon. Ojos Del Guadiana Brut from Bodegas El Progreso (made from Chardonnay) provided for a refreshing and sparkling start to the tasting at hand.

Ojos Del Guadiana Brut
 

 Macabeo, Verdejo, Viognier, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc stood out as favoured white wine varietals. They were used for producing single varietal whites and blends as well. Surprisingly Airen wines were generally found lacking and wine enthusiasts can’t be blamed for expecting more of Airen wines from La Mancha. Bodegas Santa Catalina however had a good one in the form of Campechano Airen 2016.

Campechano Airen 2016

Reds
Tempranillo stood firm among red wines either as a single varietal wine or as part of a blend. International varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Pertit Verdot were used as blending companions. Bogarve 1915 for example had the Lacruz Vega Roble 2015 (blend of Tempranillo, Merlot and Syrah); Virgen de las Vinas Bodega y Almazara had the Tomillar Reserva Cab Sauvignon-Tempranilo; and Domino de Punctum Organic & Biodynamic Wines had the Vienta Aliseo Tempranillo-Petit Verdot 2016. The other local red varietal Graciano was not too prominent during this event, though Bodegas Parra Jimenez had the Tentadero Graciano (single varietal wine) and Domino de Punctum Organic & Biodynamic Wines had the blend Viento Aliseo Graciano- Cab Sauvignon 2014.

Eye-catching ones
Eye-catching bottles and wine labels have a way of attracting tradespeople to a table for more information. Such was the case in this event as well. Vinicola de Tomelloso had an eye-catching blue coloured wine bottle for its Anil Fresh Macabeo-Chardonnay 2016; Allozo Centro Espanolas had the bottle for Flor de Allozo 2015 decorated a lovely floral image and Vinos Coloman had a metallic wine label on the Coloman 50 Aniversario bottles.

Anil Fresh Macabeo-Chardonnay 2016 

Flor de Allozo 2015

Coloman 50 Aniversario

Diversity in offerings
Bodegas Parra Jimenez showcased some interesting and diverse wines. The winery representative, Ms Jiani Rong, explained that this winery was into organic farming since 1993 and went biodynamic in 2011.

For easy, refreshing sips it had options like Camino Bianco (Sauvignon blanc-Moscatel) 2016 and Camino Rose (Temparnillo-Garnacha) 2016; for a complex white wine with character it had the Inanna Blanco 2014 (Verdejo, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc blend) fermented in oak; then the unique Inanna Tinto (Tempranillo) 2016 fermented in Amphora and aged in oak; and not forgetting the sulphite-free Tentadero Sin Sulfito (Tempranillo) 2016.

Inanna Tinto (Tempranillo) 2016

Texture speaks
A few reds were notable not just for having a good constitution but also an enjoyable texture. Vinicola de Tomelloso’s Torre de Gazate Reserva 2012 and Allozo Centro Espanolas’ Allozo Gran Reserva 2008 showed as good examples.

Torre de Gazate Reserva 2012

Allozo Gran Reserva 2008

One point highlighted during the masterclass is the fact that this region (in recent years) has made an effort to shift away from merely producing bulk wines driven by quantity and price to wines improving in quality. Improvements in viticulture (a few wineries in this event itself were showcasing organic & biodynamic wines) and investments in modern vinification practices are lending a helping hand towards this effort. Wine importers and enthusiasts should take their time to explore and discover this region’s improved offerings.