The Spanish Power To Astonish: Give Rueda A Chance To Change Your Mind

The first thing you learn when you start studying wine is you don’t know as much as you think. The wine universe can be a humbling one because the moment you think you have a good handle on it you suddenly are exposed to a multitude of new regions, appellations, producers and grape varieties.  

So when I was initially approached to be a part of a small wine media tour of the Spanish white wine region of Rueda (Just under two hours northwest from Madrid) I was of two minds. On the one side, "who wouldn’t be thrilled to be flown into Spain, get to explore Madrid and go winery hopping for a week?

But there was also my skeptical side that looked down on the main grape of that area, Verdejo.  In my very limited experience with that acidic white wine I had always considered it the Pinot Grigio of the Spanish wine world. This is not an insult of the grape but rather it’s their version of a simple aromatic white that at its best would give you a refreshing a glass of wine with some lemon/lime and a dash of peach. It would be pleasant enough but would never really rise about the level of “simple sipper”.

Wow was I wrong. As I said off the top nothing humbles you more or does a better job reminding you of your ignorance quite like the world of wine.

It really is important to go explore the vineyards to get a better sense of what you’re drinking. Hanging out in the winery or at a tasting room can educate. But actually being in the row upon rows of vines will illuminate just what it is you’re drinking. On a warm Monday morning I was staring at two completely different vineyards that lay eight feet apart, came from the same winery and both were growing the Verdejo grape. To my left were old bush vines that have been around since before World War One.

To my right were vines that had been around since the first Gulf War. The old bush vines looked like scary trees you would find in a Disney forest, while the newer vines were hanging off a modern trellis system.  The centenarian vines bring more complexity and minerality while the younger ones provide a lighter more fruit-forward wine.  This pattern of large vineyards filled with such a wide range of vine age would repeat itself during the four days I spent travelling all over the Rueda region, it was damned impressive.

Then there are the actual wineries. In my mind I imagined just row after row of stainless steel tanks as these wines would not require any other device for fermenting or ageing the wine. Just pick the grape, crush the juice and let it sit in stainless steel for a short period of time before shipping it off to be absent mindedly consumed on patios all over the world.

Wrong again. Yes, every winery we visited (13 in total) employed stainless steel, concrete eggs (they look like they sound) and a wide variety of oak barrels for the aging and sometimes fermenting of their respective wines. I won’t go into detail about the fermentation or aging process that is involved with the making of Verdejo based wines. I just wanted to highlight that this area is as serious and uses all the same high-end expensive equipment that you would find in Bordeaux, Burgundy or Napa Valley.

This brings me to my next point, the incredible versatility of these wines. Yes you will encounter much Verdejo that is meant to be consumed immediately. You will encounter a fresh, fruit-forward wine with plenty of acidity and stone fruit. But when done right these youthful wines will have depth on the mid palette and a slight bitter aftertaste that bestows so much more personality than the typical Italian Pinot Grigio that we so often encounter in Canada. (Again this not an insult to all the excellent producers in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, we rarely are exposed to your product)

Going beyond this style you will also find versions of Verdejo that have been aged in oak and/or concrete while in other examples the winemaker will age the wine “sur lie” , meaning that the yeasts from the grape will remain in the tanks with the wine giving the Verdejo greater structure and adding more of nutty/honey notes to the palette. Some of the other classic tastes include herbal, fennel, mint and even balsamic notes.  

I did not expect to find such complexity in these wines, but I consistently did. On top of that I had no idea these wines would transform into something so different with age.  At one winery, Bodega Finca Montepedroso, we were presented with the 2018, 2016 and 2014 version of their Verdejo. The 2014 was an intense glass of white wine with expressive peach, smoke honey, spice, oak and almond shell. The palette was much of the same but also included lemon meringue and a slightly burnt brown butter.

I know at this point you must be rolling your eyes at these effusive tastes. I apologize for going full wine snob with all these adjectives, but they were all there and easy to find.

If you are someone who enjoys Pinot Grigio (By the way I ain’t judging. I know I am coming off as a hater but I do not mean to be) I would suggest dipping your toe into the Rueda waters. If you get turned off by so many of the aggressive New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs that flood our markets the Verdejo or their Sauvignon Blanc’s (second-most planted white varietal in Rueda) would be a solid alternative.

Finally if you’re a Chardonnay drinker— and you want to try something different but you don’t want to stray too far out of your bubble— the barrique-aged versions of Verdejo would be a perfect first step on your new wine journey. Some of the older Verdejos I tried reminded me of a well-made glass of Burgundy.  I never thought I would use the word “elegant” to describe what I once thought were simple wines. But that adjective came up several times during my trip, notably the Cuvee Especial from Bodegas Jose Pariente.

I understand if you feel this piece reads like a paid advertisement for Rueda, but the motivation for this story has nothing to do compensation. I’m not getting paid a dime to write this. When I went on this trip I gave no guarantees for any flowery prose of this northwestern Spanish wine region. What I loved about my experience was I got to learn something about the world of wine that I knew so little about. It took several high-quality producers to knock so much ignorance I had about Verdejo right out of me.

These wines represent a quality alternative to so many other white wines that we normally drink. I’m not telling you to get rid of any of your old standards and/or favourites. I’m just trying to give you some new choices. In the end that’s the best thing about wine, you constantly are learning new things. And who doesn’t like to have even more variety in their wine repertoire? Happy hunting.