Every September, when the first light breaks over the highlands of Utiel-Requena, our harvest begins. The mornings are cool at 800 meters of elevation a dry, bright cold that sharpens the senses and concentrates the fruit still hanging on vines that have been here for over a hundred years. VIÑA MEMORIAS But at Viña Memorias, the harvest is not only a winemaker's event. Before a single grape is crushed, our mashgiach the kosher supervisor is already in the vineyard. When the f

On the lineage, character, and quiet greatness of Spain's most underestimated native grape. There are varieties that rise to prominence through fashion, through marketing, through the momentum of influential regions. And then there are varieties that were always there, patient, deep-rooted, waiting for the world to catch up. Bobal is the latter. One of Spain's oldest indigenous grapes, native to a single high plateau in the interior of Valencia, it carries within it centuries

When people think of Cava, they often imagine Spain's most festive sparkling wine: elegant, lively, and made using the same traditional method as Champagne. Yet behind its fine bubbles lies something far more complex, a category shaped by place, climate, and viticultural identity. Among the different areas authorized to produce Cava, Requena (Altos Levantinos, Valencia) stands apart. It is the highest-altitude region for traditional method sparkling wine in Spain, a landscape

By ROBIN GOLDSMITH Less aggressive production, longer maturation and larger oak barrels means that modern Bobal winemakers are refining...

Spain’s Bobal grape is a distinctive native variety that finds its best expression in its heartland of Utiel-Requena. All (Valencia), Spain