Editor’s Note: If you remember, a little while back, Ryan reviewed the book “Valencia, Land of Wine“, written by Joan C. Martin and translated and edited by John Maher. While, in Valencia, we asked John how he felt about writing the occasional piece for us on Valancian wine, being our resident expert and all. And to our great surprise, he agreed. You’ll see from his elegant prose and witty humor that our choice was a good one! We are very happy to have him join us and suggest you check out his profile on our “About” page for more information.

That said, his piece today is a request on my part to have him share his knowledge on the native Valencian grape, Vernil, as a reaction to a rather blah experience we had while in Valencia. Although Vernil had a nice aromatic nose, we found the palate to be a touch empty, lacking in both body and acidity. So I tried to do a little research on the grape to see if others were having the same experience, when I came across John’s description of Verdil on his website, Wines of Valencia. The proverbial light bulb went off, and it suddenly occurred to me that there would be no better person to tackle this subject than John.

John, thanks and welcome aboard!

The wine reference books I have to hand don’t have much to say about the Verdil grape. The “Oxford Companion to Wine” says it makes “rather neutral wine” in Yecla and the southernmost part of Valencia, while my much-thumbed “Dictionary of Drink” says incorrectly that it is grown in the Alicante region. …

I love to read. I say this as someone who has read very little lately. Sometimes the world of blogging, and my Google Reader, seem to devour what time I have each day to dedicate myself to the written word. I find that I turn more often to a book on tape or a podcast about the latest world events, rather than reach for a physical tome. Both enjoyable and fine alternatives to holding pages in my hand, but I do miss reading books. Fortunately, I find that my reading comes in spurts where I’ll consume 3-5 books in one month and then take some time off from it. Right now, I feel like I’m heading into one of my reading phases, and just in time as the rooftop slowly warms. With Spring soon to come, I assume that I’ll find myself more often with a glass of wine in one hand and a new volume in the other, lounging happily on our terrace.

I say all this because I just received a new book to read/review and it appears to be the perfect motivation to reinvigorate my desire to read. Valencia Land of Wine is a book that came to me by way of a friend in Valencia. John Maher is someone I met about 12 months ago when attending the Vino Elite wine show. We connected through his site Wines of Valencia and later attended a fun tasting together put on by the folks at Verema.com.

John is the editor and translator of this book. Having moved here in 2006, he found that he had a similar problem to me when …

Have you ever been sent back in time after looking at wine label? Personally, I tend to have these experiences most often with aromas, rather than images. Maybe the bouquet of a wine will catapult me back to my aunt’s kitchen helping her make a sweet cranberry strudel, or a vacation I took horseback riding through a pungent compost field. This, I can relate to, but never have I had it happen with a label of a wine bottle.

The blue hues of the 2005 Beryna watercolor label depicting a boat drifting at sea was the instigator for my most recent time warp. Years ago, when I lived in New Mexico, I had a secret getaway I would religiously take every week. In my 1993 black Subaru Legacy, a poor choice in color while living in the Southwest, I would sneak away from the university and drive north with my sunroof open, joyfully singing along to the Cranberries. Down the empty sand encrusted highway, the intense dry heat and rich musky smell of the desert surrounding me, I eventually arrived to the front door of a small art dealer on the north end of Santa Fe. The studio was run by a friend’s mom, easily recognizable by her flowing skirts and turquoise necklaces, who just so happened to have a painting I absolutely adored. The painting reached approximately 5 feet long and 3 feet high depicting the intense primary colors of the desert mesas. In the front right corner were two Indians sitting on disproportionately long horses with limbs that looked so bizarrely thin and long, you couldn’t imagine them carrying the weight of the men. The entire scene pulled you in, making you feel equally stretched either vertically or horizontally to the point you wanted …

D.O./D.O.C/D.O.Ca: Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana
Address: Paraje Alcaydías, 4, Novelda 03660
Telephone: +34 965 603 763
Fax: +34 965 603 703
Email: casa-sicilia@casa-sicilia.com
Web: www.casa-sicilia.com
Date Bodega was Founded: 1998
Hectares of Vines: 23 hectares
Grape Varieties Grown: Monastrell (indigenous variety), Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah for the red wines; Macabeo, Moscatel, Sauvignon blanc and Chardonnay for the white wines, along with some other varieties which are currently being tried out, such as Petit Verdot and Albariño
Production in Liters: 60,000
Enologist(s): Sebastien Boudon
Wines Elaborated:Lizana, Heretata de Cesilia, Ad Gaude, Azal, Señor de Sirera
Importers:None as of yet, but VERY interested in exporting their wines
Short History Provided by the Bodega:
The present Casa Sicilia farm was founded in 1707, during the period of the third Marquis de la Romana, as a farmhouse dedicated to the production of high quality fruit, wine and oil.

Almost three centuries later, in 1998, the present-day wine-making project was started, thanks to the efforts of members belonging to the A.S.T. (Agrarian Society of Transformation) company no.5685 CASA SICILIA. It’s aim is to produce a high quality wine, combining the best tradition and the newest technologies to achieve a unique result in the region. Our winery and vineyard are called “Heretat de Cesilia” in memory of the former name of the present farm house, which is of Valencian origin.

Located in Novelda, Alicante, 240 metres above sea level, Casa Sicilia has been a very important agricultural production centre in the area of the Medio Vinalopó for centuries. It owns land throughout the Medio Vinalopó valley and includes the areas of Mola, Ledua, Sicilia and Alcaydías.

Catavino Notes:
I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited their winery on several occasions now, but this particular visit was a little different in that - full disclosure - my partner Emilio Saez van Eerd is working to …

D.O./D.O.C/D.O.Ca: D.O. Alicante
Dirección: Paraje del Puerto s/n. 034000 Villena, Alicante, Spain
Teléfono Fijo: +34 968 79 12 71
Fax: +34 968 79 19 00
Correo Electrónico: office@sierrasalinas.com
Pagina Web: www.sierrasalinas.com (warning FLASH based site)
Fecha de Fundación de la Bodega: 2000
Hectáreas de Viñas: 50 hectares
Grape Varieties Grown: Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha Tintorerra, Petit Verdot
Producción en Litros:
Enologo(s):
Vinos Elaborados:Mira Salinas, Puerto Salinas, Mo
Importers:USA: Eric Solomon

Approximately two weeks ago, I had the privilege of visiting a new winery in the DO Alicante called, Bodega Sierra Salinas. A project of the Castaño family winery, Sierra Salinas hopes to produce wines of high quality in an area of Alicante that is truly amazing to visit. Nestled in a rolling valley of hills between the tree lined ridges of the Sierra Salina Mountains, the bodega’s setting is reminiscent of Napa Valley for those California wine lovers. Unfortunately, my trip was short, and to be in such a beautiful place, I was very sad to go.