Feel the chill in the air, the earthy aromas of dried leaves and wet soil, the vibrant orange and red colors on the tip of the leaves like small dabs of paint radiating from the deep dark green background? Sigh, this is my favorite time of the year. I love to fill a thermos with hot tea, chocolate, or better yet, mulled wine; layer myself in flannel and fleece; and enjoy a day in the mountains basking in the warm heavy glow of the September sun. The brisk winds rustling the dry, cracking leaves is like music to my ears.

The magic of autumn brings a sense of warmth in my belly, as it calls for heavier and richer foods able to coat my stomach with a sense of fullness. Bright orange pumpkins and vibrant yellow and green squash begin their debut in homes across Spain, and when added with a touch of oil and garlic, how could anyone not be happy?!

Fall is also the time for the time of the harvest, when bodegas across Iberia kick into high gear to begin the grape picking process. Purple hands can be found across the peninsula, harvesting both red and white grapes with the most gentle of care, hoping to preserve every single ounce of flavor from the vineyard to the bottle.

And so far, I am happy to announce that the harvests in both Spain and Portugal are shaping up beautifully. Despite the hail storms that affected several areas throughout Ribera del Duero and La Mancha last year, whereby reducing the production of red grapes by 20% for some bodegas, the quality of the grapes themselves are being reported as outstanding! This decrease in production is also being seen as far east as …

Editors note: Starting today, we will be highlighting an Iberian wine, or winery, every Friday. It may cover a single one, a project or a winery. We’ll try, in most cases, to choose wines that are widely distributed, but this will not always be possible. Hope you enjoy.

About a year and half ago, I stumbled across a wine website that had a link to an Iberian winery blog. Clicking the link, I was taken to a page with about three posts and no comments enabled. At the time, there were approximately three other winery blogs out there, and I was excited to see another pop up. However, this “blog” didn’t allow comments. Thus, in my world, it wasn’t a blog. Long story short, earlier this month, I made contact with Andrew McCarthy through a friend, and was able to help him with a little Blogspot coding to remedy this problem. Today Castro Martin sits at the 8th place in our sidebar list of Iberian winery blogs, and I’m glad to have them there. I have loved Castro Martin’s wines for quite some time, and today, both Gabriella and I would like to recommend their great Albarino’s from the popular region of Rias Baixas.

Seriously, these are some nice wines: full of body and pure fruit, they are both complex and easy to understand. The Castro Martin Albarino is straightforward pure flesh fruit with some zesty acidity. It is a 2006, and if you noticed, we’re almost to the end of 2008; meaning that for it to have this kind of zestiness is a credit to the winemaker or the grape. I’ve been lectured by winemakers who work with Albariño that contrary to popular …

Our Chinese correspondent, Edward Ragg, recently sat down with Honorio Noya Dominguez, a native of Barrantes in the heart of the Salnes Valley, part of the Rias Baixas DO, to explore the future of Albarino wines in China. Honorio is the export manager for the producer Veiga Serantes, although, as part of a small family operation, is actually involved in every stage of the wine-making process. He has lived in the UK, Ireland and Germany and his passion for travel has undoubtedly helped in researching new markets, as he aims to bring great Albariño to the world. He began visiting China in 2007 and has remained a repeat visitor.

You work for Veiga Serantes, a top-quality Albariño producer in Rias Baixas. This is your second visit to China. What would you say is the current situation for Spanish wines in China?
Well, the wine-world in China is developing really quickly, like almost everything over here, mainly in certain urban centres: Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou etc.. The interest in wine is growing in both expatriate and, most importantly, local sectors. No one is selling a lot of wine yet, but the range of wines is changing quickly; and, although wine education is in its infancy, Chinese consumers seem to be learning equally fast. The image of Spain as a quality wine producing country is not very solid here, and a lot of work will have to be done to achieve the recognition and status Spain really deserves. Most Chinese consumers are not really aware of Spain as a major wine producer, although it is potentially a plus-point to have the traditional image of an Old World country with a number of prestige estates and notable wines (Riscal, Murrieta, …

D.O./D.O.C/D.O.Ca: D.O. BIERZO. LEÓN. CASTILLA Y LEÓN.
Address: C/ LA IGLESIA S/N, CANEDO 24546 Spain
Telephone: +34 902 400 101
Fax: +34 987 567 000
Email: info@pradaatope.es
Webpage: www.pradaatope.es
Date Winery was Founded: 1972
Hectares of Vines: 30
Grape Varieties Grown: Mencia, Godello, Chardonnay
Production in Liters: 300.000 litros
Enologist(s): Jose M. Ferreira y San Miguel
Wines Elaborated:
Palacio de Canedo Tinto Maceración 2006 (ecológico)
Palacio de Canedo Tinto Mencía 2006(ecológico)
Palacio de Canedo Blanco Godello 2006 (ecológico)
Palacio de Canedo Rosado 2005 (ecológico)
Prada a Tope Tinto Mencía 2005
Prada a Tope Crianza 2003
Palacio de Canedo Crianza Ecológico 2003
Prada a Tope Reserva 1997
Prada a Tope Gran Reserva 1997
Xamprada Blanco Brut Nature (ecológico)
Xamprada Rosado Extra Brut (ecológico)

Information about Prada a Tope from the Bodega themselves:

En 1972 nos introdujimos en el complicado mundo del vino, poco a poco fuimos adquiriendo un nombre. En 1988 la bodega compró el Señorío de Canedo ante el reto que suponía la concesión de la D.O. Bierzo. Se plantaron las viñas, se construyó la bodega y se rehabilitó el Palacio de Canedo, donde envejecen los vinos. La bodega se encuentra rodeada de una superficie de 30 Ha. En el laboreo no se utilizan herbicidas ni productos sistémicos. El resto de la producción se compra mediante contrato y siempre a viticultores de la zona, garantizándoles un precio superior al del mercado, exigiéndoles como contrapartida que trabajen conforme a su filosofía y métodos de producción.
Adyacente a la bodega se encuentra el PALACIO DE CANEDO, edificio barroco del primer tercio del siglo XVIII, declarado Bien de Interés Cultural con categoría de monumento por la Junta de Castilla y León. Cuenta con restaurante, café, posada con 8 habitaciones y tienda, donde se pueden comprar todos los productos de Prada a Tope. Un maravilloso paisaje que no te dejará indiferente.

Martín Codax 2005 - Spain, Galicia, Rías Baixas(8/2/2006) Albariño - A classic albariño, this velvety wine is almost slick on the palate, smooth and serious but with a refreshing and perfectly balanced level of acidity, and intensely aromatic – calling to mind pears, apples, and kiwis, as well as a light floral undertone.