Camina Tempranillo 2017
Winemaker Notes
La Mancha is located on a plateau in central Spain and is one of the largest and oldest winemaking regions in the world, starting in Roman times. La Mancha has an extreme continental climate. Summer daytime temperatures regularly exceed 104 degrees F but drop dramatically as darkness falls. Winters are cold, with sub-zero temperatures and frequent frosts. The finest vineyard areas in La Mancha are those with high limestone and chalk content in the sub-soil. These semi-porous stones retain precious moisture and help to even out the vines’ water supply. 3,000 hours of sunshine a year ripens the grapes without difficulty.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.