Revolution in a glass

For three days, Spain’s capital bubbled, gurgled and, yes, foamed during the third annual Madrid-Fusion conference two weeks ago. Enjoying its exalted position at the pinnacle of cutting-edge gastronomy, Spain put its most renowned chefs on the kitchen stage, culminating in Ferran Adria of El Bulli using liquid nitrogen to make pea soup balls (they were frozen outside, with a warm liquid center) and showcasing ingredients like the bone-marrow-ish spinal fluid of tuna.

But for the first time in its three years Madrid-Fusion also featured wine. A high-profile tasting of the “100 definitive wines from Spain” demonstrated unequivocally that, as extreme as the revolution in Spanish cooking may be, the revolution in Spanish wine is no less dramatic.

Selected by the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade and the Union of Spanish Wine Tasters, the lineup featured plenty of stalwarts from the likes of Jerez (sherry), Rioja and the Ribera del Duero. But what really caught the eye was the presence of regions that, until a few years ago, no one had ever heard of: Jumilla. Bierzo. Toro. Rueda.

Welcome to the new Spain. Sparked by the rejuvenation of ancient vineyards and fueled by plenty of European Union investment, new must-try wines are being released faster than Apple geeks can come up with snazzy new I-gadgets. Remember, it was only in the last seven or eight years that people started raving about bright, racy Albarino whites and indelible Priorat reds. Hardly seeming new anymore, both wines are now part of the canon.

Spain’s revolution has been an effort to hit the top end of the market rather than produce a lot of inexpensive, uninspiring wine, as Chile did in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Happily, that doesn’t mean there aren’t terrific bargains -- there are plenty. But the quality is high. These new regions caught many tasters by surprise at Madrid-Fusion, generating lots of buzz.

As Spanish winemakers from more established regions scoured the countryside for new regions to develop, they discovered neglected old vineyards that California winemakers would kill to have. Properly tended, the low-yielding old vines are capable of producing blockbuster wines from the get-go. So although some of these new wines may be only a few vintages old, they have instant cachet, based on the age of the vineyards and the pedigrees of their winemakers.

Take Toro. Though only a handful of its wines have reached the market, investment there has been energetic for several years. With land prices in the more established regions such as Ribera del Duero and Priorat skyrocketing, Spain’s heavyweights have come here to buy up large swaths of cheap real estate. Eager producers include the country’s greatest house, Vega Sicilia (with its first project outside Ribera del Duero); Vega’s former winemaker Mariano Garcia (a legend); and Rioja’s Eguren family, which produces the highly successful Sierra Cantabria wines.

The wines of Toro, which is a sere land of barren plateaus and rolling hills northwest of Madrid, were among Spain’s most famous during the Middle Ages. Over the centuries, the region fell into obscurity, and by the 1970s only about 5,000 hectares (12,350 acres) of vineyards existed. When Toro received official status as a winemaking region in 1987, there were just seven commercial wineries. Today there are some 38, total vineyard land is closer to 60,000 hectares (much of that planted in the last decade), and the bleak landscape is dotted with shiny new winemaking facilities.

Toro’s grape variety is called Tinta de Toro, a local clone of Spain’s ubiquitous Tempranillo. Until the mid-’80s, Toro wines had a reputation for being clunky, poorly made and overalcoholic, often exceeding 17% alcohol. They were hardly consumed outside the region. As a new generation took over from the old, though, changes made in both vineyard and winery allowed the wines to become what they are today: Spain’s biggest, boldest reds.

Emblematic of the new Toro (and indeed the new Spain) is Bodega Numanthia Termes. Founded by the Eguren family of Rioja, the soul of Numanthia is a vineyard in the middle of nowhere called Teso los Carriles, which Marcos Eguren found while searching Toro for old vines. “The first time I laid eyes on that vineyard,” Eguren said on a visit to California in November, “I went looking for the owner.”

With 11 acres of knee-high, muscular old vines that look like bonsai trees on steroids, the vineyard is estimated to be 140 years old. Eguren uses the grapes to produce a wine called Termanthia, which exhibits the raw, animal power of which Toro is capable. With only 4,000 bottles produced annually, this profoundly concentrated wine sees 200% new oak, meaning that after fermentation it goes straight into new French oak barrels, then after some months it is transferred to brand-new barrels again. An expensive proposition? The 2001 sells for about $200. Though its first vintage was only 2000, it is clearly positioning itself as Toro’s iconic wine. While the unofficial consensus in Madrid was that it’s nowhere near ready to drink, Robert Parker gave the 2000 Termanthia a score of 98.

Declassified wine from this vineyard joins wines from other vineyards (averaging 70 years of age) to make the less expensive Numanthia, a wine slightly less massive but more agile and early-drinking. Termes, the third wine from the Bodega, is made from vines averaging 30 years of age. “These wines,” said Eguren, “show the great potential of this region. Older vineyards with modern techniques are making wines never before seen in Spain.”

With wines like that being produced right off the bat, it’s hard to fathom how new this region is. For instance, the first vintage (2001) of Pintia, Vega Sicilia’s Toro wine, has just been released. A baby, Pintia is made from vines that only average 30 years of age. While not as powerful as the Numanthia wines, it’s beautifully balanced, with terrific fruit and good structure.

Finca Sobreno, a project of yet more roving Riojans, makes a powerful, dense Toro that can be had for less than $20. And the ambitious little cooperative Vina Bajoz makes a gently smoky, leathery crianza (young wine) that’s as appealing as an old Bordeaux, but ready for early drinking. All that for about $15.

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The whites of Rueda

Just to the southeast of Toro is Rueda, which, though adjacent, has a different enough climate to be able to produce terrific whites from a grape unfamiliar to most Americans: Verdejo.

Like Toro, Rueda’s winemaking history goes back centuries, during which its white grapes were used to make oxidized, fortified, sherry-style wines. It wasn’t until 1970 that Marques de Riscal, looking for a place to make better dry whites than it could in its home of Rioja, had the vision to turn Verdejo into a dry table wine. “At the time, people were trying to pull up the old Verdejo vines in favor of Viura, a higher-yielding grape,” says Riscal’s head of winemaking, Pedro Aznar Escudero. Verdejo, he says, may be the better wine grape: low-yielding and small-berried. “But the most important thing is that it’s grown in Rueda, where the former river terrace of gravelly stones and soils is its perfect home.”

Riscal’s first vintage of Verdejo was 1972, but Rueda didn’t become an official wine region until 1981. Similar to Sauvignon Blanc (with which they are sometimes blended), modern Verdejos have grassy, citrus and tropical fruit characteristics but tend to be softer, exchanging tang and raciness for a lovely roundness and weight in the mouth. They’re straightforward, easy-drinking, inexpensive wines that pair wonderfully with grilled or even raw seafood.

Today there are several attractive Ruedas on the market. Dos Victorias, made by two women winemakers, combines gorgeous floral notes with a tropical fruit character (especially in the hot 2003 vintage) to make an easy-drinking white perfect with grilled fish or chicken. Naia, with its flashy orange-and-white label, is a delicious quaffer. The MartinSancho Verdejo from Bodegas Angel Rodriguez, made from old, ungrafted vines grown in 30 feet of gravel, is one of the best.

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Bierzo breaks the mold

With mountains on three sides and a temperate maritime climate, Bierzo, in the northwest corner of Spain just above Portugal, is greener than most of the country, with an almost alpine feel. Because of that, its wines break the mold for Spanish reds, tending toward finesse over power and acidity over tannin. They’re terrific food wines, great with charcuterie, olives, hard cheese.

The predominant grape here is the mysterious Mencia, which some theorize is a relative of Cabernet Franc but to this taster is more of a cross between Pinot Noir and Syrah, with the soft ripe berry character of the former and the subtle, intriguing gamey note of the latter.

Bierzo began to garner attention when Alvaro Palacios, the young wine superstar and media darling from Rioja (whose wine L’Ermita put Priorat on the map), ambitiously set up shop here.

In 1998 Palacios and his Bordeaux-trained nephew, Ricardo, founded Descendientes de J. Palacios, an estate dedicated to proving that great wine could be made with Mencia. Sourcing vineyards up to 100 years old and on steep, schist-laden hillsides, his initial vintage was 1999. That wine was called Corullon, a blend of juice from plots in or around the town of Corullon. With its dark-berried fruit, gorgeous ruby color, rather slick texture and flinty minerality, it’s a wine unlike any other.

Today Palacios makes four gorgeous single-vineyard wines (Las Lamas, Moncerbal, San Martin and La Faraona -- Wine Exchange in Orange has just a few bottles of them) that are the most regal (and pricey) of Bierzo wines, about $80 to $100. A new, less expensive Palacios wine, Petalos del Bierzo, will be available in coming weeks. Its 2001 Villa de Corullon, about $40, is drinking beautifully now. Its understated power and complexity are reminiscent of a top-notch northern Rhone.

Palacios may have drawn attention to the region, but he may not even produce the best wines. That honor might fall to winemaker Raul Perez, who makes outstanding wines for two different houses.

His best are the wine called Tilenus “Pagos de Posada” and the one called Valtuille for his family’s company, Castro Ventosa. Having grown up in Bierzo, Perez may know the Mencia grape better than anyone else. He employs such techniques as native-yeast fermentation and lees stirring (rare for red wines) to craft wines of voluptuous mouth-feel and complex, shifting aromas.

Founded in 2000, Dominio de Tares is one of the newest wineries in the area, but it’s already producing some very likable wines. The 2002 “Bembibre” is like a more appealing version of Merlot, soft and round, with generous red fruit. The 2003 has rich red cherry flavors, savory notes of coffee and chocolate and an earthy mineral touch.

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Jumilla’s brooding reds

And, of course, thanks to the heat and aridity that characterize much of the country, dense wine is what Spain does so well. Jumilla, a region due west of the coastal town of Alicante, might be said to be the southeastern counterpart to Toro. Hot and dry, with barren, rocky soils, it’s a forbidding place. “There’s no reason to go there unless you are making wine,” says importer Jorge Ordonez, whose company, Fine Wines From Spain, is one of Jumilla’s champions.

The grape here is Monastrell, known as Mourvedre in France. A dark, brooding type that makes wines of great density and power, Monastrell performs best when ungrafted, says Ordonez. That, he says, is one of the great advantages of Jumilla. With its chalky, rocky soils and scanty rainfall, the region is particularly resistant to phylloxera, the pest that causes most vines in the world to be planted on American rootstock. Ordonez estimates that Jumilla boasts 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of ungrafted old-vine Monastrell.

Whereas Toro’s wines can be dear, Jumilla’s are eminently affordable. Winemakers there are going for big, international-style wines (some include Cabernet and Tempranillo), and while the region is certainly up and coming, it may be some time before it finds its footing. Ordonez’s wines, such as Finca Luzon and Wrongo Dongo, offer good fruit and some earthy complexity for an $8 price tag. For $16 to $20 you can find wines like Finca Luzon’s Altos de Luzon, which offer more richness and concentration at still reasonable prices.

Increasingly, other grapes are finding their way into the soils of Jumilla. The best examples of these come from the winery Casa de la Ermita, which has planted everything from Gewurztraminer to Petit Verdot. Besides being excellent values, the Casa de la Ermita wines are also quite good, from the varietal Monastrell to an aromatic white made from Viognier.

If Luzon can make tasty Viognier in Jumilla, who knows what else Spain will have in store for us?

Already a trickle of wines from such regions as Calatayud, La Mancha, Yecla, Somontano, Costa Brava and Alicante promise great things to come. In the meantime, classic regions like Rioja and Ribera del Duero continue to get better.

Just as Ferran Adria has created a new vocabulary for gastronauts, Spanish wine these days is one revelation after another.

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A tasting full of discoveries

Last week The Times tasting panel met to sample 24 wines from Rueda, Bierzo, Toro and Jumilla. All were tasted blind. (Twenty-three wines are listed; one was corked.) On the panel were Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila, columnist David Shaw, staff writer Corie Brown and a guest, Claudio Blotta, co-owner and wine buyer of La Terza in Los Angeles.

The tasting proved to be one of the most interesting in months, leaving the panelists with a feeling of excitement about these emerging regions, particularly Toro and Bierzo.

The Toros were most impressive. Though they ranged in price from $10 to $200, the panel’s unanimous and enthusiastic favorite was the $10 bottle, a 2001 Cano, which easily beat out the 2001 Numanthia Termes “Termanthia” priced at $200. (To be fair, that wine seemed to need more time in the bottle.) It just nosed out the quite delicious 2001 Pintia ($50), from the producers of the renowned Vega-Sicilia in Ribera del Duero.

We found lots to love in Bierzo. Though these wines, made from the Mencia grape, are expensive, they have plenty of character. All were well made and fairly elegant, with the same gorgeous ruby color. Of six tasted, we strongly recommend the first five listed; it was difficult to put them in order of preference.

The Ruedas, while not particularly exciting, were all well made and very affordable, with enough acidity and fruit to make them terrific food wines. Made from the Verdejo grape, they’d be delicious with grilled scallops or fish, or even raw fish, like sushi, which can be difficult to match.The lone white from Jumilla was the big surprise of the day -- it’s a memorable wine, as sippable as whites from Alsace. But the red Jumillas did not show well. With the exception of the quite likable 2001 Casa de la Ermita, they were astringent and unpleasant, and we couldn’t recommend them. The region seems to need more time to hit its stride.

Within each category, the wines are listed in the order of the panel’s preference.

Rueda

* 2003 Basa blanco. A crisp and very pleasant white with delicate lime and faint petrol aromas, it cries out for grilled shrimp or hamachi sashimi. Available at John & Pete’s in West Hollywood, about $9. Best value.

2003 Jose Pariente Verdejo. With tropical fruit aromas, bracing acid and a nice minerality, this bone-dry wine is clean and simple. Available at Larchmont Village Wine and Cheese in Los Angeles, about $18.

2002 MartinSancho Verdejo. A pretty peach nose with faint petrol notes; the palate is stony and dry. Available at Wine House in West Los Angeles, about $13.

2003 Naia Rueda. Big pineapple and peach aromas, with a weighty, almost oily texture; a bit overly alcoholic. Available at Wine Exchange in Orange, about $9.

Jumilla White

* 2003 Casa de la Ermita. An unusual, very appealing wine with plenty of personality. It offers sweet melon and lychee aromas, yet it’s bone dry on the palate, with attractive minerality. Terrific as an aperitif. Available at Wine House, about $11. Best value.

Bierzo

2000 Tilenus “Pagos de Posada.” A serious, elegant, very well-balanced wine with an intriguing nose, good structure, silky texture and a long finish. Available at Silverlake Wine in Silver Lake, about $38.

2001 J. Palacios Villa de Corullon. Equally serious, with a compelling bouquet of sweet spices and dark berries, bright, juicy fruit and a long, firm finish. Well balanced and elegant. Available at Wine House, about $40.

2001 Dominio de Tares “Pago 3.” Generous black fruit aromas, with a hint of leafy forest -- grab the charcuterie! On the palate, lively acid, sweet fruit with a little earthy mushroom, some complexity and a very nice, long finish. Available at Hi-Time Cellars in Costa Mesa, about $73.

2001 Paixar Mencia. The biggest of the Bierzos -- dark, rich, concentrated and long, oaky and very earthy. Available at Wine Exchange, about $65.

2002 Dominio de Tares “Bembibre.” Soft, appealing and very drinkable, with big red fruit aromas and a little smoke. Available at Hi-Time Cellars, about $40.

2002 Pago de Valdoneje. A somewhat reticent wine that reminded one panelist of Garnacha. The palate is tight, a bit green, with an almost astringent finish. Available at Greenblatt’s Deli and Fine Wines in Los Angeles and Wine House, about $10.

Toro

* 2001 Cano. The surprise winner of the tasting. “A great bottle,” said one panelist. “Seems like old vines,” said another. Elegant, well made, beautifully balanced, with plenty of fruit, round and velvety on the palate; reminiscent of an old Burgundy. Available at John & Pete’s, about $10. Best value.

2001 Pintia. A serious wine with intriguing wild aromas and lots of ripe fruit; judiciously oaked and well balanced. Would be delicious with game birds, cured ham or hard cheeses. Available at Wally’s Wine and Spirits in West Los Angeles, about $50.

2002 Numanthia Termes “Numanthia.” This one had a beautiful nose, “like a pot of raspberry jam,” said one panelist. Something faintly smoky too. Very concentrated, spicy and big, with good structure. Available at John & Pete’s, about $48.

2002 Numanthia Termes “Termanthia.” Red fruit and bacon aromas, with a hint of something wild and green (wild blackberry?). Interesting character, purple and intense, with bright acidity. Available at John & Pete’s, about $190.

* 1999 Bajoz Crianza. Lovely cassis nose, with leather and smoke, this reminded two of the panelists of a Bordeaux with some age. Well balanced with enough acid, good texture and a nice finish. Available at John & Pete’s, about $15. Best value.

2001 Numanthia Termes “Termanthia.” Sweet, black fruit aromas were attractive, but this huge, very oaky, very tannic, very alcoholic wine just didn’t seem ready to drink. Available at John & Pete’s, about $200.

2000 Finca Sobreno. The red fruit nose seemed to promise something more interesting and complex than the palate offered. Earthy and pleasant enough, but finish stopped short. Available at Wine Exchange, about $18.

Jumilla Red

2001 Casa de la Ermita. The hands-down winner of the Jumilla reds, this is the only one the panel could really recommend. Well made, likable and earthy, with bell pepper notes and all of its components integrated, this reminded one panelist of a very young Italian Cab. Available at John & Pete’s, about $13.

2003 Casa de la Ermita Monastrell “Monasterio de Santa Ana.” Generous roasted red fruit aromas, with very sweet prune flavors, yet it’s bone dry. Overly alcoholic. Available at John & Pete’s, about $9.

2002 Altos de Luzon. Acidic and astringent, with some earthy flavors. Available at Wine House, about $18.

2003 Wrongo Dongo. Unfelicitously named, this wine was astringent, hard and brassy, with palate-cleansing acidity. Available at Wine House and Greenblatt’s, about $7.

2001 Alceo. A sweet, red nose that reminded one panelist of Banyuls. Raisiny flavors, with an unpleasant, almost benzene note. Fortunately, there was no length. Available at Wine House, about $14.

-- Leslie Brenner