Only a few hours to welcome2015; nervousness,preparations, what dress should I weartonight? But there issomething that never fails, the 12 lucky grapes.
It is a traditionthat dates back to1909, during that year,there was anoverproduction ofgrapes inAlicante, so the tradition began, eating12 grapesat the end of the year. Each grapesymbolizes amonth of the yearthustakenfor eachgrape,you're luckyone month.
And of course, you can not missa toast witha glass ofcava...!
Italy and France and second largest world exporter
in terms of volume, although
third in terms of value. It´s really important in economic terms, but
also social and environmental.
And the importance of wine as
image of
the country abroad, the sector has
extraordinary relevance in Spain.
(http://www.winesfromspain.com/)
Spain is known for its wines, and an increasing number of Appellations of Origin work every day to improve quality controls in the production and marketing strategies of their wines.
Spain has 69 Apellations of Origin (2014), they are recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
An appellation of origin is characterized as all the grapes come from the geographical area in which it is located, there can be no grapes from other areas; the same applies to the elaboration, must take place in the geographical area where it is located. Another method that follows the Apellation of Origin is the Qualified Apellation of Origin. To get it, a region must be 10 years in an Apellation Origin, all the wine is bottled in wineries registered in the Apellation Origin, there is an exhaustive control from production to the moment a bottle is in the market and there are other conditions for the vineyards.
A part of apellation of origin, there are other nominations: "Vinos de pago", "Vinos de calidad con indicación geográfica" y "Vinos de tierra".
A control that in one way or another ensures the quality of wines produced in Spain.
Many do not know what the Zurracapote is, but once you try it, you will never forget it.
Zurracapote is produced in many villages in the northern of Spain, but it predominates in La Rioja Alta. It is done many times a year, at some festivals, celebrations or Easter.
It is very easy to prepare, here is the recipe:
In a bowl put 4 liters of red wine or clarete, 1kg of sugar, half a lemon and a cinnamon stick.
Mix everything well with a wooden spoon and let it there from 3 to 4 days. On the third day try it and if you like it, then it is ready, after this you can bottle it and store it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
Do not confuse the Zurracapote with sangría or tinto de verano.
Before proceeding with the wineries located in Haro, the wine capital, let's learn a little more about the area, the best way to know that is knowing the people and their customs.
Today I will write about a village of 1,200 inhabitants, located 14 kilometers from Haro. It is very special to me, as it is my village.
You may not know San Asensio, but if we say: "the birthplace of clarete," "The Battle of clarete" or perhaps the "Monastery of the Estrella" (where many people studied and colonies were spending their summer holidays", it may sound familiar to you. San Asensio is a small village mostly devoted to viticulture, there are 3 cooperatives and 17 private wineries, many considering the population of the municipality, it also has a choir, a brass band and various groupings (Peña del Clarete, association of housewives .... etc.). A village full of life, it increases its population in summer time and other holidays as Easter.
Perhaps the best known is the Battle of Clarete, it takes place every July 25th, throwing 30,000 litres of wine in the area of "Cerrillo Vervalle"; everyone dressed in white will accompanied the Charanga directed to that point, where the battle begins, then continues the party in the center of the village. A weekend full of joy and celebration.
We must differentiate what is "clarete" and what is rosé. "Clarete" comes from musts of white grapes and red grapes, fermentation is done with the skin of red grapes; Rosé can be done with 100% red grapes, or with a blending of white adn red grapes, but the fermentation is done without the skin of the grapes.
The largest and most famous festival related to the wine would be the Battle of claret, but also on May 14th takes place the festival of San Isidro (patron of winegrowers) and the village goes out to celebrate in different wineries.
Another of the most popular celebrations is the pilgrimage to the Davalillo Castle. Davalillo Castle is located 7km from San Asensio, it was the ancient settlement of the village before moving to its current location.
Davalillo´s castle
The first Sunday after Easter, and during the Monday of the village holidays (September) the pilgrimage is done, departing at 9 am from the church on a pilgrimage to Davalillo. During the pilgrimage, two virgins are moved, The Virgin of Davalillo and the Virgin of the Rosary, one is taken to the church of San Asensio and the other is taken to the castle. The dancers (one of the most important symbols of the village) go with the procession, making several stops and delighting everyone with their dance.
In September begin the festivities in honor of the Virgin of Davalillo, a week full of activities, music and fun.
Other activities take place along the year, as the day on which the Quintos go to the streets to ask for money to the people or when they do the typical New Year's Eve bonfire. In summer, several wine tastings are done at several wineries and cooperatives, in autumn chestnuts are roasted in the village square, the traditional treading of grapes is also made at Bodegas Lecea, being back in time for young and not so young people.
"The Cerrillo of Vervalle" is a hill where there is a large concentration of old cellars of over 300 years, dug under the ground; many are currently in disused but others have been rehabilitated and are still used to create wines in San Asensio.
Singular people, whose life is being on the streets, in bars, going out for pintxo-pote on Friday, or drinking zurracapote at Easter ... You have to experience it to know what it feels like, what San Asensio is able to give.
One of the most famous and enigmatic areas of Rioja is La Rioja Alta. This area goes from Logroño, capital of La Rioja, to Haro, close the region of Álava, in the south reaches the town of San Millan de la Cogolla (where the monasteries of Suso and Yuso are located; world heritage sites and the place where the first words in Spanish were written).
Cities full of history, culture, life and especially vineyards and wineries, many of them are from the 19th century and even older.
Vineyards located in San Asensio (La Rioja Alta)
All the cities and villages deserve to be named and admired, but first I will start with Haro, capital of La Rioja Alta, and very well-known worldwide. The town of Haro was founded in the tenth century; after several historical disputes, in the late nineteenth century, Queen Maria Cristina awarded Haro with the title of "city"; after this the "Teatro El Breton de los Herreros", the Bullring and Wine Research Centre were created.
In the mid-nineteenth century the disease phylloxera arrived in France, damaging its vineyards and forcing their owners to move to other areas looking for better vineyards. Thus the French arrived in the area of Rioja. This moment marked the history of Rioja; progress and improvements to produce wines recognized worldwide. From this moment, the production and marketing were improved, using the train as a mode of distribution; that is the reason why we find the "Haro Station District", home of the largest concentration of ancient cellars in Europe.
Photo of the city of Haro from the Haro Station District
A lot of wineries are located in the city of Haro, the most well-known are: Bodegas Bilbaínas, Bodegas CVNE (Compañía vinícola del norte de España), Bodeas Carlos Serres, Bodegas Federico Paternina, Bodegas Gómez Cruzado, Bodegas La Rioja Alta, Bodegas López de Heredia, Bodegas Martínez Lacuesta, Bodegas Ramón Bilbao and Bodegas RODA.
In the next posts we will know more about this amazing wineries.
