2 minute read
VITICULTURE&WINEMAKING
from South Region
MONTILLA VINEYARD The Montilla Vineyard is one of the factors that makes Alvear singular. The Pago de Benavente and Pago de Riofrío are at the highest elevations in the area (2,000 ft.; 610 m) and their parcels have many different orientations. They are planted with head-trained old-vine Pedro Ximénez and short-pruned with a traditional technique called a la ciega.Thisencourageslowcanopygrowthtoshadethegroundaroundthevine.
PEDRO XIMÉNEZ The calling-card of the estate, the Pedro Ximénez grape is used to produce Alvear’s wine. Styles range from dry still wines, finos, amontillados, olorosos and sweet wines. The grape has thin skins and high sugar content, permittingthevinificationofrichsweetwines,andfinosandamontilladoswithoutfortification.
AGING UNDER A VELO DE FLOR For their fino and amontillado wines, Alvear ages the wine under velo de flor, literally “veil of yeast.” This is a natural biological process whereby a cream-colored cap of yeast indigenous to the region develops onthetopofthewine.Alvear’s velo ismadeofnativeyeasts,S.Montuliensisandothers,alsoconsideredanintegralpartof theterroiroftheirwines.The velo isevenusedintheirdrywhitewinerange,3Miradas,toimpartlight,yeastyaromas.
To make sweet P.X. wines, the fruit is exposed to the sun after harvest. Grape clusters are spread over plaited grass mats and slowly sun-dried until they become raisins. A dense must is then taken from the crushed raisins, and the subsequent winemaking and aging processes give rise to the region’s much-loved sweet wines.
Howistheterroirreflectedinthe winesofAlvear?
ThewinesthatleaveAlvearalwaysevoketheidentity ofMontillathrough:
Pedro Ximénez:aromasofpear,apple,fennel,anise
Expression of albariza soil:salinity/savorinessand "mineral"freshness,andfiner,verticalwines
Expression of the velo de flor (yeast veil): strainsof nativeyeasts,S.Montuliensisandothers,whichare partoftheterroirandprovideverytypicalaromas, helpingtocreatethewinerystyle–elegantwines, withoutstrong,pungentaromas,alwaysstrivingfor freshness,moreaniseandcitrusaromasofthePX, andtypicalaromasoftheyeastveil.
ALVEARPORTFOLIO:
3 Miradas Range (Vino de Pueblo, Cerro Franco, Cerro Macho) P.X. de añada, Fino Capataz, Fino en Rama Carlos VII, Oloroso Asunción, Oloroso Catón, Palo Cortado Nº7, P.X. Solera 1927
3MiradasVinodePueblo
DO Montilla - Moriles
Varieties
100% Pedro Ximénez
Vinification
Fermented in concrete jars and rested up to 8 months with yeast veil
GoodtoKnow
Old-vine fruit from pagos Río Frío Alto and Benavente
SingularitiesoftheWinery
Alvear is the oldest winery in Andalusia, and the second-oldest still in operation in Spain. With almost 300 years of history, the winery has treasures such as a solera with an average age of 100 years. They were also the first to champion the versatility of the Pedro Ximénezgrape,stillahallmarkofthehouse.
WhyisAlvearaGrandesPagosde Españawinery?
As pioneers of both the Montilla region and the Pedro Ximénez grape, Alvear aims for all of their wines to carry the imprint of their terroir. This and their passion for innovation led them to join other wineries in the pursuit of single-estate quality in GPE.
P.X.deAñada
DO Montilla - Moriles
Varieties
100% Pedro Ximénez
Vinification
Sun-dried grapes pressed in traditional vertical press, fortified rested in concrete cones for at least a year
GoodtoKnow
Made with grapes from a single vintage
ALVEAR
Av. de María Auxiliadora, 1 14550 Montilla
Córdoba
One of the southernmost wineries in Europe, Cortijo los Aguilares sits in the hills of southern Spain. A classic Andalusian farmhouse with numerous archaeological remains from Roman and Moorish times imbues the site with a long regional history. After successfully recovering area vineyards that were dormant for almost 100 years after phylloxera hit the area, the estate now focuses on achieving the most singular expression their terroir.
CLIMATE: Mediterranean mountain: concentrated rainfall between November and April, including intense rains known as the cold drop phenomenon; average temperature of 63°F (17°C)
ELEVATION:2,950 feet(900m)
SOILS: Calcareous clay, with some limestone, sand and quartz
CLASS: DO Sierras de Málaga
KEYFACTS HISTORY
VINE: 96 acres(39ha)acrossfiveplots
KEYVARIETALS:PetitVerdot,Pinot Noir,Tempranillo,GarnachaandGraciano
ECO: Certifiedorganic
INNOVATE: Successfullycultivating PinotNoirinsuchasouthernlatitude carefully stewards the 2,000-acre (809 ha) estate that borders the Sierra de las Nieves National Park. Many additional crops and livestock are raised on the estate, ensuring biodiversity.
The area of Ronda has been linked to vine cultivation for centuries. In fact, it is what the region was known for until the arrival of phylloxera at the end of the 19th century. Grape-growing resumed 100 years later when some intrepid entrepreneurs decided to bring back the tradition and replant vines in the area. Among them was the Itarte family, following in the footsteps of Alfonso de Hohenlohe, whose vineyards they have cultivated since 2014.
Additionally, they minimize their ecological impact by using hybrid vehicles on the estate, renovating buildings to increase energy efficiency, and preparing a future project to generate solar energy at the winery.
