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Tag Archives: wine-regions


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Bodegas Valdespino’s cellar

Jerez de la Frontera, so named as the boundary between warring Christians and Moors in the 13th Century is the home of bodegas Valdespino. And just look at this amazing cellar, in the dim light and controlled moisture haze it seems to go on as far as the eye can see!

This is where the solera for the excellent Inocente Fino and the Tio Diego Amontillado live. Both contain wine made from the highest point of the Macharnudo Alto single vineyard.

Doors to the west open to allow the cool Poniente breeze in

The best vineyards in the sherry triangle have Albariza soils which are a mix of limestone, silica and clay. These soils absorb moisture in the winter and then form a crust during the dry growing season retaining moisture and slowly releasing it to the vines. The gently sloping vineyards have a series of troughs, called Asperpia, worked into them to catch water and let it soak into the soil.  

The Macharnudo Alto vineyard has a little more elevation than elsewhere and so catches the cooling Poniente breeze from the Atlantic and the albariza soils here contain a particularly high level of limestone both contributing to more concentrated grapes.

In the cellar the solera systems sit side by side each with 10 criadera and the final tier of solera.  The Inocente barrels all contain flor and as with all Finos the resulting wine has been fully matured under a layer of yeast. Wine is removed for bottling from the bottom solera layer, where the wines are oldest, each spring and autumn when the flor is thickest. The wines therefore have an average age of around 10 years. The barrels in the solera are then topped up successively each from the criadera above it until new wine is added to the first set of barrels. The nutrients within the fresh wine added helps to feed the flor yeast and keep it alive.

The first three criadera of the Tio Diego Amontillado solera system have flor and then more spirit is added fortifying the wines up to 17% ABV which kills it off.  The wine matures in the remaining layers of the solera oxidatively resulting in a wine with both yeasty flor character and nutty, caramel type notes and a of course a darker colour. There is more evaporation without the floor and so the abv rises by another few degrees. Wine is only drawn off the solera once a year meaning that the average age of the Tio Diego is more like 17-18 years.

There is one other wine connected with these soleras and that is the Palo Cortado. Every now and then the wine maker recognises that one or two of the barrels ‘want to be’ Palo Cortado. It may be that the flor has died or the barrel displays some extra concentration or individual character.  These barrels are moved over to join the Palo Cortado solera producing Viejo C.P. or even the PC  VOS (Very Old Sherry).

There are 11 layers within these solera systems and there are 70 barrels in each making 770 in total. This sounds like a lot but less than 40% is taken out each year and with an average age of 10 and 17 years respectively it takes a lot of time and space not mention care and attention to make these fantastic wines.  

For tasting notes of the Inocente Fino see wine of the month


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Sclavos Winery, Kefalonia.

Sclavos winery takes a minimum intervention approach to wine making and is transitioning to biodynamic practices in the vineyards.

Their goal is to craft natural organic wines that showcase the unique characteristics of local grape varieties, influenced by their microclimate. After harvest, grapes undergo careful hand-sorting to remove any unsuitable fruit. Vinification employs modern techniques, including stainless steel tanks, pneumatic presses with nitrogen environments, and oak fermenters.

Mavrodaphne is traditionally made as a sweet wine on Kefalonia and in order to protect the PDO classification dry versions are actually not allowed to be labelled as Mavrodaphne!  Sclavos along with others, has long advocated for the recognition of red dry wines from this variety.  The winery is introducing new expressions of Mavrodaphne Kefallinia, continuing its pioneering efforts in dry vinification and aging, a practice initiated 25 years ago.

The Mavrodaphne variety undergoes three weeks of fermentation, followed by over a year of aging in French oak barrels of varying sizes (225L, 500L, and large oak tanks).
The winery has 14 hectares of their own vineyards, but buys some grapes in to produce 160, 000 bottles annually.
The wines:
Alchymiste 2020 Mavrodaphne and Moschatela grapes picked relatively early. This wine is made in stainless steel tanks  producing a rose colour wine. On the nose crushed raspberries and chalk dust. A nice fruit mix with a smoky slightly animal note – goaty! also malt loaf.  It is fresh and medium bodied with soft powdery tannins.

Orgion 2020 Mavrodaphne aged partly in French oak barrels. There is a floral jasmine note also smoke and again malt loaf. The oak is very subtle and fills it all out the wine making it a bit rounder. Very nice.

Xinodos Biodaynamic 2020 From old vine Mavrodaphne + 17% Vostilidi, co-vinified. Matured for one year in big barrels. The wine is dark and concentrate. It is dry with red and blue fruits and has the tannin and acidity to age well.

Vin Doux Du Soleil 2020 Made from sun dried Moschato grapes. Intense concentrated fruit, good acidity, very long.  


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What is it that makes Barbaresco special?

A good wine friend organised a trip to Barbaresco this May to join the annual Tavola festival and taste the new release of the 2019 vintage. There is of course no better way to experience and fall in love with the wines of a particular place than to taste them in situ and you can find tasting notes and photos to make you envious, in our write up of the trip.

The Tanaro River

Our friend is a great fan of Italian wines but particularly loves the wines of Barbaresco favouring them even over the noble wines of Barolo.  So here I thought it would be interesting to compare the wine making regions of Barbaresco and Barolo.  Both prestigious they of course have many similarities but also a few key differences that give each a distinct character.

Barbaresco DOCG, lies in the heart of Piedmont, northeast of the Barolo DOCG. It is known for producing wines of finesse, elegance, and exceptional aging potential, exclusively from the Nebbiolo grape. While Barbaresco and Barolo share similarities, significant differences in climate, topography, and winemaking regulations distinguish the two appellations.

Climate and Topography

Barbaresco’s climate is continental with notable influences from the Tanaro River winding through the region and helping to moderate temperature extremes. Compared to Barolo, Barbaresco has a slightly lower elevation, typically between 200 and 400 meters above sea level, resulting in a milder microclimate. Nebbiolo ripens earlier here contributing to wines that are more approachable at a younger age compared to Barolo’s often more austere structure in youth.

On the rolling hillsides of the region many of the best vineyards face south or southwest, allowing optimal sunlight exposure, however variations in altitude and orientation create diverse terroirs across the region’s key communes: Barbaresco, Neive, Treiso, and a small portion of Alba.

Soils and Terroir

Barbaresco’s soils are primarily composed of marl, a mixture of clay, limestone, and sand. This composition is thought to result in wines with refined tannins and a more delicate structure than those of Barolo, which generally has a higher proportion of sandstone, contributing to its more powerful, tannic profile. The relatively fertile and compact nature of Barbaresco’s soils encourages a softer expression of Nebbiolo with floral, red fruit, and spice-driven aromatics.

Wine Laws and Grape Varieties

Under DOCG regulations, Barbaresco wines must be made from 100% Nebbiolo and undergo a minimum aging period of two years, with at least nine months in oak. Barbaresco Riserva requires at least four years of aging. This contrasts with Barolo, which mandates three years for standard wines and five years for Riserva, further reinforcing Barbaresco’s reputation for earlier drinkability.

Barbaresco vs. Barolo

Clearly both appellations produce amazing wines and the wine makers approach, whether traditional or modern also has a big influence, but Barbaresco’s wines are typically lighter in body, more perfumed, and approachable sooner than Barolo’s. Whilst comparatively more delicate they can still be very long lived and developing great complexity with time in the bottle.