Tempranillo Grapes Growing in Colmenar de Oreja (Image courtesy of HG Marketing)

Crowds of visitors flock to Madrid each year for the city’s great plazas, the magnificent “Golden Triangle of Museums,” the historic Palacio Real, and the terrific tapas. While there they are also likely to savor some of Spain’s fine wines, some of which are crafted just a short distance from the city.

Many visitors are probably unaware that one of Europe’s most captivating capitals is in the heart of the Madrid wine region where some of the country’s many talented winemakers pursue their craft. The region’s winegrowers produce fine wines suitable to accompany platters of Spain's exquisite sheep’s milk cheeses and smoked meats.

We recently attended a tasting of some the Madrid region’s outstanding offerings. The production of these wines is deeply rooted in a tradition that dates back to the 13th Century. If you find yourself in the capital, a visit to a local winery should make for a lovely day trip, but we had a wonderful time sampling the work of Madrid’s winegrowers without ever leaving the U.S.

The Varietals

The red wines of the Madrid region are made using Tempranillo, Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah grapes, with the first two of these being the most predominant and distinctive. The white wines are made using Malvar, Albillo, Parellada, Torrontes, Viura, Airen, and Moscatel small grain grapes. The Malvar and Albillo are the most widely grown and are native to the region.

The tasting presented us with more good wines than we can recount, but we marveled at the novel qualities of the Qubel Barrica 2002. It is a blend consisting of 80% of the Tempranillo varietal, with the remainder being 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Syrah. It is aged in French (Allier) oak barrels, giving it a smoked flavoring along with a slight bitterness. Only 3,500 bottles and magnums are produced each year.

Equally unique among the reds on hand was the Homet 2003. It too is a blend, with 70% Tempranillo, 10% Merlot, 10% Syrah, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. It comes from the Charles III Royal Winery, founded by the King to supply the Royal Household. It is aged in oak barrels for 14 months with production limited to less than 4,000 bottles. The great cellar is made up of underground brick galleries that offer constant temperature and humidity year round. The extraordinary conditions produce a delightful young wine. As with France's Beaujolais, it is sometimes served slightly chilled in sunny Madrid.

And there were more red wines worth sampling to see which are best suited to an individual taste. If you’re feeling prosperous you might indulge in a pricey, but richly rewarding bottle of Bodegas Ricardo Benito 2002. It is produced with Tempranillo grapes grown on very old vines and aged in French oak barrels for 18 months at a winery resting 2,000 feet above sea level, just 25 miles from Madrid. Only 2,000 bottles are produced each year, but it should be easier to find at an American wine shop than ever before due to recent marketing efforts.

Sustainable Winegrowing

In 2002, the European Program for Integrated Pest Management created a winegrowers association (ATRIA) that provides a responsible agronomist and some Vegetal Sanity Government specialists to support winegrowers. It is one of ATRIA’s objectives to limit the use of pesticides to only the optimum moments, to reduce the number of treatments, and to choose the ones that are most respectful of the environment.

We asked Mario Bravo Cea, the man from ATRIA responsible for viticulture, about the Madrid region’s efforts to produce wine in a sustainable manner. He explained that pest management in Madrid is generally quite easy, making it possible to pursue almost organic production. Warm conditions provide high temperatures and low humidity in most of the vegetative cycle, making it difficult for vine pests and diseases to develop, leaving no need for the application of dangerous levels of pesticides. Indeed, one of the wines we tasted was certified organic.

We also asked Mario about methods of irrigation. He told us there are few vineyards in Madrid that are watered as most of the vines produce beautifully in conditions of dryness. Although using water in vineyards is allowed, it has to be with localized irrigation methods and the annual amount of water used is regulated by law.

The winegrowers also don’t spend a lot on vine fertilization. There are organic matter fertilizers from plants or animal residues that are being used, but the use of mineral complex are more extended. ATRIA is addressing the issue, working to limit the application of mineral products by adapting fertilizing programs to each type of soil.

For extending a long tradition of fine wine production and adapting the most sustainable agricultural methods we can only say Viva Espana!