Day one in Navarra was mostly about getting my bearings AND a very important meeting with a winery that I worked with before when an importer. My appointment went much better than ever hoped. My contact, Concha Vecino is an extraordinary woman. She is not only the head winemaker but runs the place without question. She is both intensely professional and a ton of fun. She asked that the winery Export Manager, Carlos Biurrun join us as he would handle any details if we decide to work together. Carlos spent four years in St. Louis at university, speaks excellent English and was equally fun. We had a great day tasting through several different lots of OVG from 2010 and 2011 and then visited the vineyard sites from which the wines came. This was topped off by a delicious lunch. Growing up in California and taking Spanish since grade school I am pretty comfy around the language, as long as we don’t venture too far from the present tense! I don’t know if they didn’t teach the other tenses or I was absent that term, but really, it is weird. I can only speak in the present tense and then add the lame “en el posado” or “en el futuro” !
I am always intensely ill when traveling though this area of Navarra known as Valdizarbe. I have had the pleasure of three trips in ½ dozen years and once I learned that the lovely grassy hillsides were once covered in old vine garnacha and carignane I truly get physically ill.
One of the Potential Sites
The Owners of One of the Biodynamic Sites....Enjoying Their Lunch Among the Vines
Their Site. They Maintain the Forest Behind as Part of their Biodynamic Philosophy
Old Vines with New Power; Dynamic Spain!
Welcome to Town!
South End of Valdizarbe: Lots of Rocks
On day two I ventured to the other bastion of old vine garnacha, Baja Montaña, one of the five regions (and the other that specializes in OVG) of Navarra. I was thoroughly charmed. There are more old vines here and indeed more fruit agriculture altogether. The area seems lost in another age. Although it is not THAT far from Pamplona it feels miles apart. The lovely towns just south of Pamplona are in fact “suburbs” of Pamplona which is only 15-20 minutes away. When driving/walking through the small towns I was taken with the quiet nature, beautiful houses, many of them new or fully renovated construction and no services. I was certainly surprised to learn that these charming towns are now occupied by the reasonably well heeled white collar working people from the big city. The area of Baja Montaña has a much more agricultural feel, which was truly noted as I walked into a lovely restaurant for lunch only to discover that I was the ONLY woman in the building (except servers of course). I prided myself however on being of the same working cult, Levis and boots, plenty of dirt!
The Incredibly Sophiticated Canal for Water Delivery
Old Vines of Baja Montaña, Town of Sada in Background
Another Small Patch of Newer Garnacha
The Ongoing Contrast: Old Vines that Remain on Right, Newly Grubbed Up Ones on Left
Lunchtime!
More Sadness, Newly Grubbed Up Vines
Just Another Bodega Sign, Bienvenido!
