With all these data processed, then comes the second form of approach: the visit. Arriving in Peñafiel –on the outskirts of Valladolid– one morning at the end of March is the same as facing the low temperatures of one of the regions with the most radical climate in the country. The winters are long and harsh – thermometers can reach -20oC – and the summers are dry and hot, marked by temperatures of more than 40oC. These extreme conditions, combined with the characteristics of the soil and the strict methods of cultivation, harvesting and vinification have meant that, in just 40 years, this Denomination of Origin has become one of the most respected and recognized in the world.
There are four days ahead to explore the area, but there is no time to lose. The plan is ambitious – the itinerary includes visits to five wineries per day, as well as lunches and dinners that promise to delight us with regional dishes served in restaurants such as Taller, with a Michelin star, or spaces similar to the typical ones txokos of the Basque Country– and our hosts are eager to welcome us and share with us all their knowledge about wine, about those Tempranillo grapes that they take care of with such care and, more than anything else, about their connection with the land.
Hear them talk about terroir –of its layers of sand and clay, of its limestone and calcareous elements– while we go through some of its most exceptional plots, it is also to understand the importance of natural cycles and that there is no room for improvisation here. Everything is done for a reason (the way the vines are planted, the distance between them, the way the grapes are picked) and everything has a precise moment (pruning, harvesting, vinification).
Respect for the legacy is the basis of everything and is confirmed over and over again, whether at Bodega Hermanos Sastre, Balbás, Matarromera, Dominio de Atauta, Arzuaga, Bosque de Matasnos, Nabal or Portia. But we must not lose sight of the starting point, according to Peter Sisseck at the Dominio de Pingus facilities, the project that he started in 1995 and that established him as a rock star of oenology: “When the grape is good, you have to do very little to obtain good wine. The elaboration is the support of the good work that we have done in the vineyard”. Letting the wine flood our palate and nose is the third approach.
From the fruity and light notes of the young wines, to the elegance, aromatic complexity and power of the aged wines, the possibilities open up before you and lead the way to find our favourites. Will it be a Balbuena from Vega Sicilia or an Old Rook from Protos? Perhaps a Sergio Hernández de Lleiroso Reserva Special Edition or a López Cristóbal rosé? Choices are as personal as they are correct.
The contemplation of architecture is another gateway to this world. The projects by Norman Foster for Portia and Richard Rogers for Protos contrast with more modest wineries, but no less dedicated to the production of wines with soul. And then the words that Juan José Balbás told us as we toured his cellar come back to me: “Wine is a living being and, as such, it can do whatever it wants, for better or for worse. Therein lies his greatness.” So and according to what I learned, wine requires time, patience and the best grapes. Everything indicates that at this point on the planet there is no shortage of any.