Tag Archives: Wine tasting

Spain

Bodega Remigio de Salas Jalón experience

We went to explore the Riebera del Duero wine region of Spain. It is one of the top wine making regions in Spain. The area is located on the extensive, elevated northern plateau of the Iberian Peninsula. It follows the Duero river and has ideal conditions for wine making. 

View of part of the Riebera del Duero region in Spain.

We were excited to visit some of the bodegas and experience some wine tours. We began with a visit to the bodega called Remigio de Salas Jalón located in the highest part of the urban centre of Dueñas. It is located in the side of a mountain and the majority of the bodega is located inside manmade caves and is underground. We did a little exploring in the area before heading to the bodega.

Shelley on the mountain side near the bodega
The road up to the bodega Remigio de Salas Jalón
The entrance to the bodega Remigio de Salas Jalón

This area has a long history of ancient wineries and the Salas family has maintained  an authentic age-old wine tradition. The Salas have been making wine since 1738 on this land. This is the fifth generation of the Salas family that has followed in the tradition of wine making on this land.

We were fortunate to have had a private tour of the winery and explored some of the caves that hold the wine.  The grapes are transported to the bodega by tractor and then brought into the bodega by a conveyor type system.  

Grapes brought to the bodega for processing into wine
Wine grapes being loaded into the bodega through a conveyor type system

We began our tour in the main entrance area and before long we were walking down a corridor that went into the dug caves created in the mountain side. It felt as if we were walking back in time to a different era. 

One of the corridors in the cave system of the bodega.

The entire bodega was very impressive but the most unique thing was the Original Roman era wine press that was still inside the bodega. 

The wheel section of the Roman wine press.

The lever area where the wine would be pressed.
Ray in front of the Roman wine press

Once we had toured the bodega of course we had to sample some of their wines. It was a great experience and very memorable. 

“El vino es un pasaporte al mundo.” – Thom Elkjer

Italy

Exploring Tuscany, Wine and Pisa

grape vines in Tuscany

We went for a day trip into the Tuscany country side. The scenery was amazing and the photos do not give it justice. We took a wine tour at a winery called Casa Emma  in the Chianti Classico Wine Region of Tuscany.

Sangiovese grapes in Tuscany
Shelley in the grape vines at the winery in Tuscany.

We explored  some of the scenic towns in the Tuscany region like Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa.  Our first stop was Siena which is a classic medieval town located in Tuscany.  The town is known for several interesting facts.. It has a large fan-shaped piazza which is the Piazza del Campo,. It is one of the location where the James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace” was filmed.

The Piazza del Campo is also the location where they hold the bareback horse race for the Palio of Siena. It is one of the most popular and well-known  festivals in Italy. 

The Piazza del Campo in Siena.
Torre del Mangia in the piazza del Campo, Siena
The oldest operating bank in the world-The Monte dei Paschi di bank in Siera Italy

Siena is also home to the oldest operating bank in the world. It is called the Monte dei Paschi di and was founded in Siena in 1472.  The top of the bank’s facade was unique it has different heads carved and looking down on the plaza.

After Siena we went to explore the town of San Gimignano, known as the walled  medieval town of Beautiful Towers. The town overlooks the beautiful Tuscany countryside with rolling hills and wineries. San Gimignano is known for the 14 medieval towers that still exist today. 

View of the medieval walled town of San Gimignano

Inside the walled section of the town were shops, bars and restaurants. We walked throughout the area exploring the town. 

We came to an area that overlooks the countryside and valleys below. We stopped to admire the views of Tuscany.

A view of the Tuscany countryside from San Gimignano
San Gimignano with a view of some of the historic towers in the town.

After visiting San Gimignano we went to the city of Pisa, in northern Tuscany. It is known for the famous leaning tower, of Pisa.  We went to the Piazza dei Miracoli which  is a walled 8.87-hectare area located in Pisa. Inside the walls are the Pisa Cathedral, the Baptistry, the Campanile and the leaning tower of Pisa. We are of course had to do the traditional photo for all tourist.

Shelley doing the traditional tourist photo.

The leaning tower was truly spectacular and we were in awe at just how white and beautiful it was. 

Shelley and Ray in front of the tower of Pisa
The Pisa Cathedral with the leaning tower of Pisa in the rear located in Piazza dei Miracoli
The facade of the Pisa Cathedral
A view from the base of the leaning tower of Pisa

This was one of the amazing pinch me moments we experienced during our time in Tuscany.  

“La vita stessa è un privilegio, ma vivere la vita al massimo, beh, questa è una scelta.”

Greece

What time is Wine O’clock?

We found a great little bar called “Wine O’clock” It is located in the heart of Athens near the Acropolis.

Entrance toWine O’clock in Athens, Greece

The inside of the bar was decorated with wine as the main focus.

Behind the bar area of Wine O’clock

Wine corks made into the outline of Greece.

It was a quaint spot and our server Andreas was very friendly and helpful. We even had a glass of wine and our photo taken with him.

Ray, Shelley, Vicki, Mark, Andreas and Raf in Wine O’clock bar

The owner came out to meet us and took us for a tour of the bar. We went through the main floor looking at the decorations and artwork before heading up the stairs to the second floor.

The second floor had a wooden table set up for larger groups. The table was unique in that it had wine sayings on it.

Second floor of Wine O’clock bar in Athens

Wine sayings on table in Wine O’clock bar

Some of the quotes were quite entertaining and included a quote from the pope.

The Wine O’clock bar was one of the little gems we found while visiting Athens Greece.

“αντίο και να έχουν μια μεγάλη μέρα”

Spain

A tour of the Bodega La Cepa De Pelayo

We went for a tour at a winery called “Bodega La Cepa De Pelayo”  which is a new Bodega located in Alcafá Del Jucar, Spain.

The tour was very detailed and took us through the entire Bodega.

Ray at the start of the Bodega tour

Our guide was very knowledgeable and explained the entire process in detail.

Tour guide explaining the processes of the wine making in the Bodega

We began with a tour with the extraction process, known as “debourbage”and how the grape is separated from the juice.

The vats used to ferment the wine

The juice is then transferred to different vats where the alcoholic fermentation starts.

Shelley and Ray in front of the fermentation vats

We then went to the barrel storage area where the wine is aged.

Wine aged in oak barrels at the Bodega.

Finally we went to a large hall set up for the wine tasting. We found our seats and learned about the etiquette of wine tasting. Our tour guide was very good and explained everything very clearly.

Tour guide explaining the wine tasting etiquette

We learned about the colour of the wine, the smell, look, texture and taste. We were taught how to swirl the glass to release the aromas of the wine.

Shelley at the wine tasting

We tried several different wines including a white, rose and red.

Ray tasting a white wine at the Bodega

The wine tasting was very entertaining and a lot of fun.

“Hasta luego y que tengas un gran dia”

Spain

Wine school and tasting

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Friends invited us to go to a class on the art of wine tasting being held in El Campello. We decided to go and check it out. We headed down to Luceros to take the Tram to El Campello. Luceros is located in the center of the city and has a beautiful monument located in it.

Monument in center of Luceros in Alicante

We took the Tram for approximately 20 minutes and arrived in El Campello. A short walk and we were at the wine school. We entered the classroom which was set up for the event.

wine glasses, water, and bucket for spitting out the wine.

The class which was entirely in Spanish was interesting at times and at other times we were lost and not able to understand the class. The instructor was speaking very fast and he also had a heavy accent.

The Instructor for the wine class demonstrating how to open a bottle of wine.

There were four different types of local wines from Alicante. A Shiraz, Merlot, Monastrell and a Sauvignon.

Wines from the Alicante Region that were sampled during the class.

Each wine was poured into a glass for sampling. The instructor then went through how to hold the glass to the details of tasting the wine.  Each person had a small bucket beside them for spitting out the wine when they were done. Ray did not need his bucket because none of his wine was wasted.

Shelley sampling her first glass of wine in the class.

Ray sampling his wine.

After the wine tasting we discussed the flavours etc of the wine. We would then move on to the next wine for sampling. The evening with friend was enjoyable and it was an interesting experience.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”