From Olite to Tudela between drinks
No, that the wine from the D.O. Navarra is not a white brand of Rioja . And to show this winery route in which the personality and modernity of these wines it is tasted and, also, it is visited.
Little is being said about the silent revolution that the Navarrese broth are living. Gone is that time when its large payments were used to produce grapes in bulk with French and Rioja flavors.
Today, the influences of the Atlantic, the freshness of the north and the quality of vines that extend throughout its vast territory are mixed in its glasses. Navarre is terroir and restlessness . An unclassifiable variety of soils where each variety behaves as it pleases, making mountains, meadows and deserts concentrate in a single sip. And a generation of oenologists capable of exalt the grenache, refresh its nuances, sublimate French grapes and play with unlikely Moscates and varietals.
Panorama of the Ebro in Tudela
In terms of wines, ** Navarra is **, also, bipolar. The Sierra del Perdon It acts as a natural border, a wall between the great payments of the south and the mosaic of the north. Therefore, in order to delve into the wine tourism spring that this region is experiencing, it is best to draw a straight line between Tudela and Olite, between the Moncayo and the Middle Zone, to deviate in these directions and pair the tastings with other genuine charms.
Vineyards in Olite
OLITE CAPITAL
The fact of being halfway between the main production sub-areas has led to this head of Merindad being chosen to house the headquarters of the D.O. But, in addition, it has another incentive: The tourism.
Some 230,000 people annually visit its lavish castle , a figure that places it as the most visited monument in the Foral Community and as a magnet for the curious from all over the world. An advantage that makes wine tourism here not so much a claim as a perfect complement.
The capital status is also justified with other tasty data. The first, having a wine cellar like The Merindad of Olite where none of the references of the region are missing and where they know how to pair each broth with dishes that are born in the garden of Tudela. And it does so without losing that essence of authentic inn , without modernities or unnecessary boasting. Only with an endless cellar and with a blackboard in which it is not (only) the brands that matter, but also the blends and vintages.
Square of the Fueros of Tudela
The other trait is to house the Falcon Crest from Navarran wineries. royal frame It stands as a winery of immense proportions, somewhat eighties and industrial, but which in recent years has been able to recycle.
A modernization work that is noticeable in the tasting of its numerous references but also in the visit of the 'posh' part, the most well-cared-for nave in the complex where its aroma room stands out. Here urbanites (finally) learn what clove smells like. Another thing is to find it in the wines...
royal frame
Dothrakis and Khaleesis
Also in Olite is the headquarters of Ochoa , one of those vinifiers that should not be lost sight of.
It all started with a father, Javier, who was not satisfied with making the usual wine and encouraged his winery to be the first to make a R&D project supported by the CDTI on the cultivation of the muscatel grape.
Since then everything has been creativity and imagination, something that his daughters, Adriana and Beatriz, have inherited and have transformed into modern wines such as the resulting Moscato or the Graciano monovarietal they called 'Thank you'.
Apart from a non-conformist spirit, what characterizes this winery is having known how to get the most out of the land like few others. In fact, some of his payments extend to the limits of the Bardenas Reales, the Dothraki sea of HBO fiction. And the fact is that the views from his farm in Traibuena are, to say the least, epic, with the muscatel in the foreground, the semi-desert formations in the second and the lonely Moncayo (our Mount Fuji) in the background.
Back at the headquarters, the visit gradually leads to conversations about the family, oenological curiosities and tastings from tanks where the Grenache opens up like a tuberose in flower. Yes, there are moments for photogenic since it is a well-cared house, but the best memory of this experience is that of the paired talks and that of the passion of a family.
Ochoa, don't lose sight of her
BETWEEN TUSCANY AND BARCELÓ
Heading south, the landscape is dazed. As soon as quarries like olive groves and southern estates appear where any cereal has grown and will grow. Nothing indicates that there is a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. And yet, there is no better geographical definition for Araiz Payments what is this
Getting here requires be an expert and parishioner of Google Maps since the crossroads and the absence of 4G add to the confusion.
But suddenly the cypresses appear and the traveler thinks that either he is dead or has arrived in Tuscany. The path becomes a highway flanked by these upright fountains of shadow and sleep until you reach a complex presided over by a historicist country house.
Araiz Payments
Beyond this welcome, what hypnotizes about Aráiz is his connection with art. In fact, the entire complex is covered with works by the Foundation Maria Cristina Masaveu Peterson , making the visit almost more museum-like than oenological.
However, when it comes to pairing, it is worth harmonizing its whites with the Apostles Gallery, a set of Romanesque statues whose origin they do not want to remember. Also toast with your rosé at the top of the Japanese terrace or walk with your child through the country house among remarkable works. And it is that from its walls hang creations of Canogar and Barcelo while the ceiling of its hall is adorned with Mudejar coffered ceilings.
MORE THAN AN OLD FLOUR BOWL
All wine tourism prejudice must be eliminated when facing Marquis of Montecierzo . At first it may seem like a winery created by and to be seen, but as soon as Joaquín begins his explanations and wastes his charisma, everything changes.
In this old converted flour mill by their current owners happily welcome more than 15,000 visitors a year. His vocation, not his cross, is to evangelize and show people that Navarran wine is also attractive. But, above all, do it from absolute normality, without heroics, Parker points or hyperboles.
Hence, the tour of this titanic building alternates with the anecdotes of its rehabilitation, with the references to its former use (Until here the train tracks were diverted to load with the flour, for example) and with other wine tourism experiences such as the concerts that are set up in its patio or the children's tasting of grapes in season.
The final tasting is also a surprise. Their pop-up pink is the best seller of this winery since its quality has made it win in several years the award for the best in its category in the contest organized annually by the D.O. In addition, in the huge room old machines from the factory are exhibited for fetishism and enjoyment of the most nostalgic.
Marquis of Montecierzo
TASTY BULWARK
The last years of circumstance payment They have been, to say the least, cathartic. The change of ownership has meant for the noble Bolandin Estate a twist. It is not that they have changed the facade, they have simply updated their services and their wines. And that shows.
Climbing up to the hill from where he rules his pseudo-medieval tower is already a valuable experience in itself. Views from above provoke Instagram at any time of day while the winery here is not only toured, it is also savored. And it is that the other uses of this complex make it an essential wine tourism in Spain.
The restaurant has become the reason for the trip for many. It is true that in the first minutes of the experience the view is lost in the vineyards on its terrace and in the barrel room that, separated by a large glass, accompanies the diners inside.
Then starts a dish show that move in perfect balance between the riverside tradition and the avant-garde and exotic touch. And, as the menu is designed with wine pairing very much in mind, the result makes its pago wines the best master of ceremonies.
They don't star in the show, rather they perfect it. A complete success that has made it be recognized with a Repsol Sun but, above all, it has made it a reference tablecloth for everyone who visits Tudela.
The curious/inevitable tower also houses a hotel with a medieval aesthetic, but which avoids the old and the expensive. Its rooms are spacious, comfortable, full of great detail and wine references , with a very welcoming service and with views over the hacienda that improve any sunrise.
circumstance payment