The Wine Academy of Spain in London

29-Jan-09 - I first met Pancho Campo in 2005, when he invited me to speak at a conference in Marbella as part of a programme for the Wine Academy of Spain, which he had founded in 2003. My subject then was the wines of Málaga, and it gave me the opportunity to visit new and up-and-coming bodegas around the region, including some spectacular developments in the Sierras de Málaga, where they're making a new generation of red and white wines which are nothing like the great, sweet fortified classics. I was back there in May last year and saw how some of those new bodegas had grown and developed. In the meantime, Pancho has become the first Spanish MW, has also joined the Circle of Wine Writers (CWW), and the Academy has been conducting seminars in the US and all over Europe.

This particular one was in London at the International Wine and Spirit Centre (home of the WSET) in London. It was a two-day affair covering all the Spanish regions, and he asked me which one I'd like to cover. I chose Castilla y León, as for me it's one of the most exciting parts of Spain in terms of winemaking, with the six 'new' areas of Arlanza, Arribes, Benavente, León, Valtiendas and Zamora having joined the established Bierzo, Ribera del Duero, Rueda, Toro and Cigales over the last few years. Indeed, I'm hosting a CWW trip to see 'The Alternative Castilla y León' during March, to have a look at the 'unknown' wine areas.

Castilla y León wine regions
(the red rings are the new areas - click to enlarge).
Map - Guía de Vinos Gourmets

On the day there were some 50 participants, ranging from MW students to interested members of the public, and Pancho recommended an approach at approximately Diploma level to meet everyone's requirements. In the event they were an enthusiastic bunch and asked some very challenging questions. We tasted wines from Ribera del Duero, Toro, Bierzo, Rueda and the white Altozano of González Byass, which is a Verdejo/Sauvignon mix but badged as VdlT Castilla y León. Probably the best wine was the 2005 Honoris de Valdubón, Ribera del Duero (Freixenet) although it was really too young to drink, and the best value was the 2004 Viña Bajoz Toro (about £8.49 over here), which was drinking splendidly and had all that Toro warmth, ripeness and fruit. Biggest disappointment was the Bierzo - 2005 Tercer Motivo of Bodegas Conde, which tasted as if it had been over-cropped. The Mencía grape does not perform well from young vines and needs low yields to give of its best. The only stockist I could find for the wine was a French wine merchant in Dijon, who's selling it at €4.20, which speaks volumes. I recommended that the students should try the excellent 2005 Martín Sarmiento (£8.54 from Waitrose), which is a very good entry-level example.

A keen bunch

It was a very pleasant experience speaking to such an enthusiastic group, and good to see some familiar faces at the WSET... AND, catching the train home in the early afternoon meant that I got a comfortable seat all the way home without having to pay extra to go in first class. And also I'd had a call in the morning to select the wines for a presentation I'm doing at Wine+ at Olympia next Tuesday (not a lot of notice, then) which occupied me for the rest of the afternoon and most of Friday morning. More on that next week.

¡Salúd! (that's Pancho on the left)