#OleWinos Final Day: Tilenus/Estefanía & the little #wine valley that could

IMG_5408The final day of our brilliant #OleWinos trip was spent in a little appellation in the northern part of Spain, tucked in between still snowy mountains (if only we had that snow and rain in California!): DO Bierzo (WL, FB, Tw). Our group was finishing up our stay across Spain, hosted by high end #wine group MGWines Group (WL, FB, Tw), in the small, but lovely & ancient, Roman-era town of Ponferrada.  It was here that we would visit the previously known property of Bodegas Estafanía (WL, FB), now known better by its main label, Tilenus. Named for the Celtic god, later appropriated by the Romans for their own Mars god of war, their label features a Roman coin that was once found in their very old vine vineyards. It is those very vineyards that sparked an image of ancientness themselves in my mind, with their Dantesque hand-vines reaching towards the sky, during our soggy visit to their longtime home. More details after the leap!

Trefethen 2009 Oak Knoll District Fallow: "Bottled Estate"

2009 Trefethen Oak Oak Knoll District FallowThe French have been rattling on and on for years about their winegrowing concept of "terroir." Ostensibly, it means a "sense of place;" whereby you gain a sense about the climate, soil, water, air, sun and just about everything else that helps to grow the grapes in a particular region. While I also believe this to be true and the source of the winemaker phrase "winemaking begins in the vineyard," I've been frustrated by what I've viewed as the continued inability to truly bottle the terroir of a special vineyard. A white Entre-deux-Mers that tastes slightly salty because it's next to the sea? Sure, but then a whole lot of other vineyards around the world are near the sea, too!

Brixr + TinyBottles + Me = Tasting Video Fun!

BrixrWhat is the single biggest problem about wine clubs for both the wine producer/wine store and the consumer who receives the wine? The wine itself! The wine producer or wine store owner usually has to send out new wine releases blind to their wine club members and the members just have to hope that they like the wine that they receive, even though it might be very unfamiliar to them as an average wine club member. What does all of this mean? A lot of wine bottles that are sent out are not the style of wine that a member enjoys. This results in frustration, wasted money and sometimes even the cancellation of their membership. Now there is a solution, one that actually solves the REAL problem that plagues wine clubs...and it's called Brixr!
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