The new generation of Valdepeñas wines

Foods, (Gastro, Viajes & Tendencias) NOV-2020

Several viticultural business projects started by young entrepreneurs have set themselves a challenge of giving a radical turn to the image that, until now, is having of Valdepeñas wines that, despite having experienced in recent years an undeniable advance in the quality of its elaborated products, continues to maintain a stigma among the specialized critics, and in part among consumers, that reduces the possibility of reaching the podium of the most recognized production areas of the Spanish wine scene.

A paradigmatic example is the Vinos La Encomienda, a young winery headed by the brothers Gregorio and José López de Lerma and José Luis del Olmo who, in 2014 began their project after the acquisition three years before of an abandoned and evicted vineyard “that cost us three years to recover the magical and telluric enclave “.

The plot is located on a steep hillside with slopes of up to 14% in soil of volcanic, granitic and stony origin, surrounded by 400 hectares of Mediterranean understory and at an altitude of 804 meters.

The volcanic origin gives the soils special characteristics that make it very different from its competitors. There are also disparities in yields, ranging from 1 to 1.5 kg per strain.

Regarding production, the philosophy of its owners is based on minimal intervention in all processes “allowing nature to manifest itself in its pure state with hardly any interference in the field and in the winery.

All the brands sold by La Encomienda have Iberian reminiscences: “Oretano” (Tempranillo, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Franc), “Orissón” (Tempranillo, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon), “Himilce” (Viognier), al the vineyard is located in a place adjacent to the “Cerro de las Cabezas”; an archaeological excavation from the Iberian period (7th to 3rd centuries BC) located seven kilometers from the center of Valdepeñas.

The labels are loaded with symbolism. They are Iberian stamps 2,500 years old that perfectly represent the motto of the winery: “the wine that tells the story of a people.”

The promoters of the project organize tastings and visits to the vineyard including weekends, offering the possibility of also making a brief visit to the nearby Iberian site.

The winery produces 12,000 bottles per year of all its references, although its star product is the “Oretano” brand, which is sold mainly on the horeca channel, together with individuals on online platforms.

The price of the wines ranges from € 11.40 for the white “Himilce” to € 14.20 for the red “Orissón” and € 12.60 for the “Oretano”.