Located in the northern half of the Central Iberian plateau, Castilla y León is the largest of Spain's 17 administrative regions, covering about one-fifth of the country's total area. It extends about 350 kilometres (220 miles) from central Spain to the northern coast. Just as wide, it connects the Rioja wine region to the Portuguese border. Red wines reign supreme in Castilla y León, and the Tempranillo grape is undoubtedly the king.
It is known here by various synonyms, including Tinta del Pais, Tinto de Toro and Tinto Fino. It is the source of all the best wines in the region, with the exception of Bierzo, which makes good use of Mencia. The other grape varieties are the French varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. The white wines of Castilla y Léon are much less numerous than the reds, but hardly less prestigious.
Pinot grigio is a grey grape variety mutated from Pinot Noir. It has its origins in Burgundy, where it is called pinot-beurot in reference to the colour of the grey robes worn by the monks of the region. Established in Alsace since the 17th century, pinot grigio was called tokay until 2007. It is made up of bunches of small berries that vary in colour from pink to blue-grey. It is particularly well suited to the continental climate because it is resistant to the cold in winter and to spring frosts. This variety also likes dry limestone soils with plenty of sunshine in the summer. pinot grigio is well suited to late harvesting or to the selection of noble grapes, depending on the year and the concentration of sugars in the berries. Pinot grigio wines are distinguished by their aromatic complexity of white fruits, mushrooms, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, etc., and their great finesse. In the Loire Valley, pinot grigio is used in the Coteaux-d'Ancenis appellations. It gives dry or sweet wines with pear and peach aromas.
white wines from the region of Castille-et-Léon go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, shellfish or vegetarian such as recipes of pasta carbonara, cuttlefish rust from my grandmother in sète or broccoli and blue cheese quiche without pastry.
On the nose in the region of Castille-et-Léon often reveals types of flavors of grapefruit, citrus or tree fruit and sometimes also flavors of citrus fruit, tropical fruit or earth. In the mouth in the region of Castille-et-Léon is a with a nice freshness.
