Zestos Rosado 2019
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2018-
Wilfred
Wong
'Zestos' means 'basket' in English. Not too many years ago, baskets like the ones depicted on these labels were used to transport grapes from the vineyard to the wineries. If you love red wines of tension that exhibit purity and finesse or white wines of complexity and tremendous value you will find Bodega Zestos to be your new love. In the words of Robert M. Parker, Jr, the most influential wine critic in the world, Zestos is "A staggering value".
Zestos produces from organically grown Malvar vines 35+ years of age and Garnacha vines that were planted in 1969 in the high elevation vineyards of San Martin de Valdeiglesias – northwest of Madrid. Zestos also produces wines in the southeast region of Madrid in the town of Arganda del Rey, within the Arganda subregion.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
Sitting just north of La Mancha, Spain’s (and Europe’s, for that matter) largest classified wine region, this region is much smaller than the vast La Mancha. However, Vinos de Madrid DO is a relatively large region in and of itself, with four subregions that start about 9 miles from the city center. Three of the subregions form a semicircle around the southern suburbs, Arganda, Navalcarnero and San Martín, where styles vary from one to another. El Molar, situated directly north of the city, is the newly created 4th subregion.
Since Vinos de Madrid was granted DO status in 1990, it has immersed itself in local wine production. Since then, substantial efforts have been made to raise quality and knowledge of the wines produced here. Millions of tourists who visit Spain’s capital city each year help the wines gain recognition and popularity across the globe. The growing investment through the years has paid off and export markets are increasingly interested in Vinos de Madrid wines.
While Tempranillo is the most planted grape variety in the Arganda subregion in the southeast, Garnacha is the dominant grape in all other subregions, including El Molar in the north, Navalcarnero in the south, and especially San Martín de Valdeiglesias in the west.