Vender vino

A few miles from Tordesillas and in the heart of Rueda we find Finca Las Caraballas, a winery born and conceived from the desire to recover a vineyard , a natural space  rooted in a privileged environment, for wine making and from the more radical respect to the organic.

This is a sustainable project which nature and environment seem to be in perfect harmony and in the best possible form of agriculture.

What is more surprising is the exploitation of a curious pest control system by encouraging  the use of raptors and falcony techniques.  For that purpose, 20 nest boxes were introduced all around the property to facilitate the breeding and development of kestrels and finally resulting a whole family of these beautiful brids flying and protecting the property.

The winery is for the more traditional organic production standards where modernity and tradition fused to obtain a high quality product.

From its wines, no doubt is the Verdejo that outstands, a wine with futuristic features where the incardination and traceability and the handmade care assembled into a spectacular wine author.

We are going with the Winebus to Finca Las Caraballas and Granja Cantagrullas on saturday June 15.

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Este pequeño municipio de la provincia de Ciudad Real situado en la comarca natural de La Mancha, es sin duda conocido por encontrarse los famosos molinos contra los que luchó Don Quijote y que Cervantes inmortalizó en el capítulo VIII de su universal novela. Los molinos de Campo de Criptana se pueden considerar, por tanto, como la principal seña de identidad de La Mancha, así como una de las imágenes que mejor identifican España en el mundo.

De los molinos como los que hizo aparecer Cervantes en El Quijote, actualmente es posible encontrar diez, de los cuales tres son originales del siglo XVI:: Burleta, Infante, Sardinero, Culebro, Pilón, Lagarto, Poyatos, Cariari, Inca Garcilaso y Vicente Huriondo.

Algunos de ellos como El Burleta, conserva su maquinaria original que cada primer domingo de mes se pone en marcha para rememorar las antiguas moliendas que en ellos se realizaban.

El Poyatos funciona actualmente como oficina de turismo de la localidad, y otros albergan en su interior museos dedicados a diferentes temas, el más destacado es El Culebro”, ya que es el museo de Sara Montiel y donde se podrán encontrar vestidos, carteles y objetos de sus películas como el piano de “El último cuplé”.

La imagen de Campo de Criptana nos recordará al Quijote. Sobre el otero que domina al pueblo aparece un magnífico conjunto de molinos de viento, una de las imágenes más famosas del territorio. Algunos de ellos se encuentran en el centro de la ciudad, como es la Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción y otros un poco más alejados.

En definitiva una estupenda jornada entre gigantes, tanto para beber como para ver.

Located on La Mancha in the village of Campo de Criptana, we can find one of the most picturesque and original wineries thoughout the region, resulting in a strong candidate foir representative of the “New Wines of Castilla La Mancha.

For more  more than a decade, that family business begun the restoration of an ancient  XIX century winery ”Bodega el Montañés”, with the intention of preserving the old estructure, keeping the stone walls , the arab tile on the roof , the structure pine internal and rehabilitation of disused areas, adding the latest new technological advances in winemaking.

To retrieve a hold 150 years old lettinng flavours maceration  and fermentation of wine give life  to the old structure, was the basis of its project. This image has now become a reality, an open space  where tradition, familiarity and craftmanship mixed with wine most current technology, converting the former winery into a meeting place and learning for all those  who want to discover one of the cultures most rooted in our land.

Currently  the winery has all the latest technology for the production of fine wines, but always keeping very present values of the old “lagar”

Among its more than a dozen references  I would include the Baldor wine Cabernet Sauvignon, widely honored in international awards. You can distinguish in the palate some notes  of other times that still are with us.

The Winebus in Bodegas Castiblanque and Campo de Criptana, June Saturday 1.