Demencia de Mencia – Charitable Wine

 Demencia, winemakers, wines  No Responses »
May 012013
 

Bierzo’s Alzheimer’s Family Association and the winery “Demencia de Autor” have signed a cooperation agreement in the Earl’s Hall of Arms of Ponferrada’s Templar Castle, last Thursday April 25th, presenting a charitable wine named “Demencia de Mencia”.

Ruben Martinez, president of the association, and Nacho Leon, with Demencia Wine staged the agreement after underlining the health benefits of wine in moderation and the importance of a healthy diet. They also explained that the bottles will be sold at the price of 20 euros ($26 USD) each with all the profits benefiting the Alzheimer’s Family Association.

The signing was followed by the presentation “Neurogastronomy in the XXI Century: The Importance of Diet for Neurological Health and Plasticity”, by Dr. Angel Fernandez Diez, a performance of the legendary Bierzo’s singer Amancio Prada, and a wine tasting of “Demencia de Mencia”.

Nacho Leon relates his winegrowing project based on small plots of old vines, to the legacy of the elders. Without a doubt, the previous generations tending these vines and the land is the main reason we can enjoy wines like Demecia Wine.

Nacho is honored for the opportunity to give back to the community with this initiative of the Alzheimer’s Family Association.

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Finger Lakes International Wine Competition

 winemakers, wines  No Responses »
Apr 152013
 

fliwc-valdelenaroble2       fliwc-valdelena

Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, North America’s largest charitable wine competition.

100% of the competition proceeds are donated to the Camp Good Days and Special Times, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides a camping experience and more for children and adults facing the toughest challenges of life.

Children touched by cancer, HIV/AIDS, and violence gather at their recreational facility on beautiful Keuka Lake (Finger Lakes, central NY) to spark new smiles, re-kindle friendships and enjoy a week where they can simply be kids.

http://www.fliwc.com/

 

The Wine Side

 Demencia, winemakers  No Responses »
Jun 072012
 

A thank you note translated from the Blog “The Wine Side“.

In case somebody does not know, Nacho is a poet. When he speaks of wine, when he drinks wine, when he dreams about wine. With his “wine”. To be a poet one has to be a bit fool. What the hell, one has to be really nuts. And to make a wine the way he does in these times … “insane”. That’s why he named his wine “Demencia”. The winery “Demencia de Autor” is a personal project, artisan (again), respectful, honest and freaking amazing. It is 100% Mencia, is earth, blood, sweat, tears. It is native variety, passion for what you do, dedication, respect, and showing your balls creating about 6,000 bottles each year with no other company than the land, the vine, the moon … and a chestnut tree at the top of the vineyard. For all that and much more (The Rebellion of the Plum Tree): THANKS!!!!

Dominio Buenavista – Home of Veleta Wines

 winemakers  1 Response »
Apr 212012
 

The winery Dominio Buenavista was born from a dream: to elaborate high quality single varietal wines in their hidden village in Spain’s Sierra Nevada, in the province of Granada.

The founder, Juan Palomar, during a visit to Napa Valley in California, discovered the great wines from the area. At the same time he noticed the resemblance in climate and geography between that region in California and his hometown.

The grapes and wines are produced and processed at the family state of Dominio Buenavista Farm. On the farm, they grow grapes, figs, almonds and olives from centenary trees of the “Lechin” variety. With these olives they produce an exquisite Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

The first vines were planted in 1992 (wild root stock) and then grafted in 1994 with local varieties and stems hand carried from Santa Rosa in the Napa Valley of California. (Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay). This vineyard is the oldest in the state, known as “La Balsa”. It grows Tempranillo, Cabernet and Chardonnay varieties.

In 1996 a new area of Buenavista was prepared and planted with wild root stock to be grafted two years later with stems from “La Balsa”. In 1998 the Merlot vineyard was planted and finally in 2001 they completed the largest vineyard of the farm called “La Erilla”. The reservoir, collecting water from Sierra Nevada year round and providing irrigation by gravity to the farm, was built in la “Erilla” at the time of planting.

All together they tend 55 acres of vineyards with soils consisting on a blend of clay and slate with high alkalinity and carbonates.

GEOGRAPHY

The village of Ugíjar is located on the south bank of Sierra Nevada, in the province of Granada and rests in one of the oldest wine producing areas of Spain. Around the year 2500 B.C., 4500 years ago, the inhabitants on the south part of the Iberian Peninsula managed to domesticate the “Vitis Vitis” from which the actual “Vitis Vinifera” evolved. Together with olive oil, wine has been a staple in the diet of the Mediterranean people since the Bronze Age.

Southern Spain provides an exceptional climate for the growth of vines. Temperatures of 68-77 degrees Fahrenheit and precipitation of 15-20 inches from fall to spring together with a constant summer drought, provides optimal maturation of our grapes.

The Contraviesa in the Granada Alpujarra County has produced good quality and popular wines since ancient times. Traditionally, wines from this region were produced by blending different types of grapes (white and red ) resulting in a rustic, pale red wine with a funky, grapy character. This local wine is referred to as “Costa”. With the exception of their good friend Manuel Valenzuela, at Barranco Oscuro and Dominio Buenavista, vines of selected Bordeaux varieties had not been grown in the area.

The winery Dominio Buenavista introduced in the valley varieties unknown to the region, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay. The results, thanks to the soil and unique microclimate, have been excellent. The wines have achieved recognition by world-renowned wine critics, connoisseurs and tasting groups as well as having received numerous awards in wine competitions in both the US and in Spain. Most importantly the idea of producing high quality single varietal wines in the region has driven numerous wineries to follow the trend. As of the 2009 vintage the province of Granada has been recognized as a Protected Designation of Origin, D.O.P. Granada.

THE HARVEST

Dominio Buenavista’s emphasis is on quality and not quantity, performing a rigorous green harvest of the vines in June. This allows concentration of nutrients to the remaining clusters. Harvesting at Dominio Buenavista is done by hand, starting early in the morning to maintain the freshness of the grapes. Most of the harvest team has been with the winery for many years. They are instructed on field selection of only the best grapes.

Harvest starts with the Chardonnay and Viognier grapes, which ripen by the middle of August. Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and other red varietals are harvested through mid September. The last fruit to come in is the Vijiriega, which ripens by mid October.

A Fool’s Wine

 Demencia, winemakers  No Responses »
Mar 312012
 

Translation from:
Monday 12.MAR.2012 - EL NORTE DE CASTILLA
facebook.com / castillayleondevinos
twitter @cyldevinos

NIEVES CABALLERO

Original from Valladolid, Nacho Leon leads a small sustainable project at DO Bierzo with his Demencia de Autor


Valladolid. He belongs to a generation of young winemakers for whom the important things are the vineyard and the wine, and the elaboration building is secondary. Nacho León (Valladolid, 1975) has started the house from the foundation, to develop a modern wine with traditional methods. His sustainable project is called Demencia and dons the back label of the DO Bierzo since 2007. It grew out of a dream, a kind of madness, but the winery Demencia de Autor is already a benchmark for high quality wines from Bierzo.

After initial steps into the world of wine in La Rioja, this agricultural engineer from Valladolid landed in Bierzo as a winery manager and got hooked with an area and a variety that is what gives character to the wines from this wine region, the grape Mencia. The project began to take shape in 2006. The name of the wine came from a play on words between the raw material and the foolishness of undertaking an authentic adventure, that of preventing the loss of old vineyards for lack of profitability.

“Older people left the vineyard and their children won’t take over” he laments. So Nacho Leon took the hoe and pruning shears and bought a small vineyard, which, at first, looked like his garden, without much plans, and at the same time keeping his day job. But coming harvest, the bug got stronger, so he bought two tanks of 1,500 liters and began to produce wine in the traditional way with “bazuqueos” (punching the cap), but looking for a modern wine.

Friends helped him gather the grapes, until the young Javier Vidal joined the project, son of vinegrowers from Bierzo, who now has become Nacho’s “hands and eyes.” In 2009, he left his job and now lives on his mad project. He has purchased other parcels, where they adapt the vines, improve the soils, and pulls certain varieties which, from their point of view, do not work in this area, and buy the grapes from other growers. He likes loam to sandy loam soils, facing east, with a gentle slope.

The goal is to grow very slowly, at most reaching 10,000 bottles a year. Now they have rented a warehouse in Toral de los Vados, headquarters of the winery Demencia de Autor, and the future plans include building a small winery, designed to develop their craft. At this time they embarked on a project to replant 3 000 vines grafting native clones adapted to the terrain of Bierzo in a Navarra’s nursery.

It’s a 100% Mencia red, the grape that gives personality to the wines from Bierzo

 

Nacho Leon poses with a bottle of his Demencia
Photo Henar Sastre

Despite his enthusiasm it’s hard to believe that he makes a living out of this madness in such difficult times. But he insists it is an advantage to be born in a crisis that puts everyone in place. Nacho Leon said many wineries have abandoned the idea of producing good wines, but the project remains.

In the second vintage, the 2007, 4000 bottles were sold. Dementia 2007 achieved a Gold Medal in the London Sommelier Wine Awards. The 2008 vintage aged for thirteen months in 22 French oak barrels to produce 6,336 bottles of a wine with touches of modernity. The grapes come from 25 plots located in the vineyards of Matadeprada, Valdelaliebre, Valdedemanteiga and Villegas.

Walking the Halls

He thinks that the project has matured enough to give it a further commercial boost. Nacho Leon passes by Valladolid on his return from the German city of Dusseldorf after “walking the halls” (they can not afford to pay an exhibitor booth) in Prowein, the most important wine fair for the countries of northern Europe, those with some of their major clients. Sweden, Finland and Norway (through an import monopoly, because there is no other way to enter these countries), Denmark, Belgium and Germany are the main destinations to which he exports small quantities of their diminute edition, thanks to the PIPE program of Spain’s Institute of Foreign Trade (ICEX). Last year they also made ​​the leap to Mexico and the United States.

In Spain he has woven a small network of distributors that carry the wine to cities like Barcelona, ​​Mallorca, Valencia, Murcia, Jaen, San Sebastian and Madrid.

Now the goal of Nacho Leon is to return the inheritance to those who come behind. He considers that the vineyard has a great potential to eliminate unemployment in Bierzo. He learns continuously from the elders in the region, traditional knowledge such as the moon influences on the maturation process of the vineyard and at the time of harvest, but also when tasting wines.

Dominio Buenavista

 winemakers  No Responses »
Mar 312012
 

Dominio Buenavista is located in Granada, Southern Spain, lying in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, between the mountains and the Mediterranean.

A family farm producing wine, olive oil, figs and almonds, with a singular beginning. Juan Palomar visited Napa Valley finding a close resemblance to his hometown. In 1992 he sourced Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay plants from Santa Rosa in Napa Valley, California and brought them to his family farm.

The Veleta brand makes reference to the majestic Veleta Peak “ The Weathervane” in the Sierra Nevada.

Veleta Nolados is a French style blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Tempranillo. As Juan likes to note, “In France they use Petit Verdot, but that’s because they don’t have Tempranillo”.

They also tend the native white grape Vijiriega, a refreshing white with intense aromas of white flowers.

but, where are the grapes?

 Demencia, winemakers  No Responses »
Feb 292012
 

Translated from:

¿PERO, DONDE ESTÁN LAS UVAS?
 By: Alfredo Argilés | 28 de febrero de 2012

I found Nacho Leon, wine inspirer, in Valencia. He was enjoying some fresh air at the Mercado de Colon, pondering over his future: it’s possible to survive with a minuscule winery, and even to make a living out of it, if the focus is on quality and not quantity. It is necessary to change the criteria, as our competitors have been doing for years, to value the land almost abandoned by the current generations, who watch impassively as hundred year old vineyards disapear, because yields are low, not understanding that this lack of yield implies high quality.

We must add value to the consolidated varieties in each region, taking outstanding care of what the French call “terroir”, the composition of the soil, the slopes according to rainfall, the orientation of each plot and therefore the sun exposure of the vines, choosing carefully the time of harvest, and avoiding chemicals as much as possible, that pervert the natural virtues adorning the fruits.

All this and much more to produce little more than six thousand bottles each year, a production that will only increase when locating additional vineyards that meet the notes already mentioned.

To all this we must add a bit of madness, becoming a “wine fool”, and being determined to prove it. Being almost a madman, making the Mencia grape into Demencia wine, which Nacho boasts as a privilege and not as a disgrace.

Against this philosophy, it is the position of many new winemakers: buy a warehouse or a “chateau”, fill it thoroughly with modern machinery and equipment, bring along prestigious graduates, masters of the art of blending and aging, and after all is ready, look around while stunned wondering “but, where are the grapes?”.

Valdelena

 winemakers  No Responses »
Feb 272012
 


Melgarajo implemented an innovative approach to recover a local tradition of wine making mainly with red Prieto Picudo and white Verdejo grapes. With a single 500-acre emblematic vineyard known as Valdeleña, historically the best location in the municipality, they have planted about 150 acres with a modern setup, aimed to create premium wines.

Loess

 winemakers  No Responses »
Dec 052011
 

Loess is a winemaker effort with two parallel sides. Both projects aim to create terroir wines, expressing the characteristics of their select vineyards.

Loess makes reference to the soil type in the specific vineyards of this project. Located in Roa, Burgos, the hearth of Ribera del Duero, these soils appear as aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt. The tempranillo grape, or “tinta del pais” as known locally, is sourced from 74 acres classified as excellent in the official zoning of the DO. These ratings were commissioned by the regulatory council and the studies performed by the local university.

Two Verdejo whites from he neighbor region of Rueda complement the project. Loess created an Oak Barrel fermented Verdejo that is been acclaimed by the critics as one on the top Rueda wines in the market. Loess expert winemaking is matched with an unique approach to product image, creating true originals.

Bodegas Melgarajo

 winemakers  1 Response »
Dec 052011
 

Bodegas Melgarajo implemented an innovative approach to recover a local tradition.

The town of Melgar de Abajo in Valladolid has a long history of wine making mainly with red Prieto Picudo and white Verdejo grapes. About 150 landowners, almost everyone in town,  concentrated their land titles in a single 500-acre emblematic vineyard known as Valdeleña, historically the best location in the municipality. So far they have planted about 150 acres with a modern setup, aimed to create premium wines. Their Prieto Picudo Rose is one of the best expressions of the grape. The traditional winemaking includes the “Madreo”, creating “Vinos Madreados”, a technique combining carbonic maceration during fermentation.

Besides recovering the wine industry in the town, the enterprise has been a remarkable community building project. The whole town gets together for the harvest fest, a day of harvesting and celebrations. It’s a great educational tool for the youngsters and an example of creative sustainability.

The winery is involved in R&D projects with local universities to recover two native grapes: “Prieto Picudo Oval” and “Negra Sauri”. Experimental vinification of these varieties is underway.

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