Friday, September 10, 2010

Harvest @ Vera de Estenas - Utiel-Requena, Spain


Utiel-Requena DO in the province of Valencia, Spain


The CASA DON ANGEL estate
comprises of the main house,winery, garden and agricultural land. It is situated in the borough of Utiel, at "La Cabezuela", which lies Click to enlarge2.5km west of the estate. To the east, it forms a border with the Rambla de Estenas (watercourse) which in turn is the natural border of the borough of Requena.
This family owned concern trades as a limited company, the Martínez Roda family being sole owners.
At present the estate houses an elegant Art Nouveau mansion built in 1919, following the guidelines of the era, as well as the original cellar, since upgraded and streamlined. Adjoining this, the new cellar, ageing plant, bottling plants and museum are found.
With the exception of a couple of almond trees lining its pathways, the estate is dedicated entirely to the growing of vines. These range from over a hundred year old Bobal vines to the recently planted ones.

This week they started the Vintage 2010 harvesting some white grapes...

The vineyards are located on a gentle slope stretching from the Sierra de Juan Navarro to the Vega del Magro (plains) very near the Rambla de Estenas (watercourse). Here we find a very sunny calcareous "glacis" where erosion has designed an undulating landscape of valleys and hills. The floors of the valleys are very rich and produce exceptional grape harvests. However, on the hills a calcareous crust with a stony surface predominates. Here the soil is poorer but very suitable for obtaining quality wines. This is something which has not gone unnoticed by Felix Martínez, who plants his most prized Cabernet sauvignon, Tempranillo, Merlot and Chardonnay vines here.

The harvest is always done by hand...

The general manager and head winemaker, Mr. Félix Martínez personally reviews the arrival of grapes to the winery.

It is imperative that bunches arrive whole and in perfect condition...

To know more about VERA DE ESTENAS and the Utiel-Requena region in Spain, please visit http://www.thewinehub.com/regions/map

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