The flavor of spice cake in wine of Navarre
Discover the of Navarre wines revealing the of spice cake flavor during the olphactive analysis (nose) and during the gustative analysis (mouth).
Navarra, in northern Spain, is one of the country's 17 first-level administrative regions (comunidades autónomas) and a fairly prolific, if lesser-known, wine region. Traditionally associated with the production of Bright, Fruity rosé, Navarra is beginning to attract attention for its high-quality red wines, mainly from the Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes, after years of being overshadowed by its southern neighbor, Rioja. The first evidence of wine-making in the region dates back to Roman times, but it is almost certain that Vines were growing here Long before that. It was recently discovered that vines of the prehistoric species Vitis sylvestris - the predecessor of the beloved Vitis vinifera - were still growing in Navarre.
After the Romans, vine cultivation continued under the Moors and then expanded considerably under Christian rule. The demand for wine was boosted by Catholics making the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage to the shrine (now a cathedral) of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, where, according to tradition, the remains of the apostle St James are buried. The 14th century was a period of prosperity for Navarre and the number of vineyards multiplied to the extent that restrictions had to be imposed to ensure that enough land was given over to cereals to feed the local population. Demand received a further boost at the end of the 19th century when France was hit by Phylloxera.
It had been possible to produce sparkling wines in Rioja, certified as DO Cava, since the creation of Spain’s main sparkling wine entity. But this fact was often unknown to consumers given that 95% of Cava is produced in the Catalunya region. The area for production of Cava in Rioja is however limited to only 18 of the nearly 150 municipalities within the entire DO zone. In a bid to better show point of origin, the new subzone labelling of Cava that was approved in 2021 now refers to the p ...
Last week, Basque National Party (PNV) spokesperson Aitor Esteban announced the withdrawal of a bill that, if passed, would have granted Basque winemakers of the Rioja Alavesa region greater autonomy. A proposal to establish a breakout Viñedos de Álava DO for Rioja’s Basque enclave was originally launched in 2016 by the Association of Rioja Alavesa Producers (ABRA), which represents over 100 local wineries. While a number of Basque producers continue to battle for the creation of an entirely sep ...
On 16 November 2021, the Denomination of Origin Penedès in Catalunya (DO Penedès) announced an extensive roadmap up to 2030, taking into account sustainability and establishing the region as a high-quality wine producer in Spain. Most immediately, all grapes for DO Penedès wines must be from fully-certified organic vineyards by 2025. While it’s an aggressive timeline, DO Penedès president Joan Huguet told Decanter, ‘Currently around 60% of the vineyards are already certified and our ...