A few months ago, we made a trip down south to Utiel-Requena to experience the harvest in full swing. With the autumn light streaming across the vines with hints of seasonal color change on the tips of the leaves, it was a beautiful site to experience. However, despite our desire to publish this article earlier, life got the best of us and delayed our report until now - better late than never.

Chozos Carrascal is located on a 30 hectar estate, 700 meters above sea-level, in the small town of San Antonio in Requena, Valencia. The etymology of the winery name is rather obscure. Chozas is the nickname of the owner’s grandfather, a common tradition given to most people in Utiel-Requena, while Carrascal refers to the local oak trees in the region. It is a familiar winery founded by Julian Lopez, and his wife, Jose Maria Peidro, with the technical aid of the French winemaker Michael Poudou. We did not meet Michael on that crisp fall day, but we were introduced to Francesc Giron. Francesc is your go to guy at the winery. Responsible for the everyday winery tasks, this stocky, teddy bear of a guy has a smile to melt your heart and the ability to make the most complicated technical information sound like an excerpt from a children’s book. As a journalist, and not a technician, I bow down to people who have this gift, as it makes my job easier.

Historically, the tradition of winemaking dates back to the 1870s, which can be observed in the old ruins located beneath the current winery. “If we hadn’t fallen through the floor during the renovation of the building, I doubt …

Image from WikipediaThis month, the King of Wine Video World is our host of Wine Blog Wednesday, Gary Vay-ner-chuck. Two weeks ago, Gary put forth on his tiny Wine vlogging project the theme of this month’s WBW would be Cabernet Franc from France. “Not too difficult,” we thought rather glibly. “It’s only a Cab Franc from the other side of the border. I’m sure the wine shop will have at least something from France!” But alas, they did not.

Because we live in Spain, a wine bottle from our neighbor not 400 km away can seem like the other side of the planet. Spaniards drink Spanish wine, period, so a 100% Cab Franc was out completely out of the question. And because we’re saving the planet with our fuel efficient feet, we were unable to cross the border to pick up a bottle of the fabulous French stuff. Consequently, we settled on a Spanish Cab Franc instead; however, unbeknown to us, even Spanish Cab Franc is as hard to find as French Cabernet Franc, with only a handful available for purchase.

In the end, we chose the 2004 Augustus from Cellars Puig i Roca in D.O. Penedes. Yet, trying to find information on this innovative winery through Google is like trying to find a …

DO Cariñena, located just west of Catalunya in northeastern Spain, is not only one of the largest and oldest regions in Aragon, but also the first to have been demarcated in 1932. And if the name sounds familiar, it should, because it is the namesake of the grape varietal Cariñena, Manzuelo in other Northern regions of Spain, an Carignon in France. Over the years, however, this emblematic indigenous varietal has been tossed to the wayside for Garnacha, a sturdier and better suited varietal for the arid growing conditions regions in Aragon.

Until the 1980’s, most of the wines from the regions were red, renowned for being big, chewy and typically sold in bulk as a blend with lighter, more delicate wines. But times have changed and in the last decade, there have been major improvements in their winemaking practices. In lieu of big alcoholic bulk wines reaching up to 19%, the DO has changed their stance to set a limit of no more than 12 to 14 percent. Fusions have been made between small bodegas and larger cooperatives, allowing for modernization in winemaking systems, as well as widespread support for planting higher quality plant varietals. These varietals have also expanded to include Tempranillo and white varietals such as Viura, Moscatel, Chardonnay, Cabernet and Parellada.

Established in 1903, Bodegas Ignacio Marín has evolved with the DO Cariñena, slowly updating their facilities as information and winemaking practices became available. This bodega is also interesting in that they boast of working in an ecological framework so as to respect the land, the vines and the end product that lands in your glass. Although I am unclear exactly what “ecological” means to them, I am happy to report that their wines are nothing …