{"id":5287,"date":"2018-10-26T20:42:05","date_gmt":"2018-10-26T20:42:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/?p=5287"},"modified":"2018-10-27T13:25:16","modified_gmt":"2018-10-27T13:25:16","slug":"huerta-de-albala-wines-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/spain\/huerta-de-albala-wines-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday Feature: Huerta de Albal\u00e1 \u2022 Capturing the Soul of Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cTravel far enough you meet yourself.\u201d — David Mitchell<\/em><\/p>\n

Two years ago, my family and I settled into the Spanish hill town of Arcos de la Frontera for the start of a sabbatical holiday. Located on the western edge of the Route of the White Hill Towns in Andaluc\u00eda, near Jerez and the Sherry Triangle<\/a><\/strong>, Arcos is an old town with a traditional Spanish soul. In the mornings, we\u2019d wake with the late rising sun and walk down the steep, narrow road to the diner in the center of town. The local men stood lining the counter and filled the outdoor tables, despite the crisp January air, smoking their cigarettes and sipping Sherry before venturing off to work. Initially too intimidated to order at the counter, we\u2019d sit at the corner table where we could observe and take our coffee. The counter was for the silent, brooding cowboy types, while the outdoor tables were where the raucous debates took place. I felt as though in a Hemingway novel, and often half expected to see him walk through the door.<\/p>\n

As the men departed, we would hike back up the hill, jumping into doorways to dodge speeding cars and passing moms walking their skipping children to school. The older women were moving about too, sweeping their doorsteps in dusters not unlike the kind I remember my grandmother wearing in the late 1970s. The women would always stop to smile and pat our children on their heads. This became our daily morning ritual.<\/p>\n

\"Exploring<\/a><\/p>\n

While we easily stood out as foreigners at first, by the end of our stay, we were part of the Arcos fabric. We had originally expected to use Arcos as a midway launching point for travels to nearby Sevilla, Cordoba, Jerez and Granada; instead, we were hypnotized by its charm, warmth and passionate soul, and decided instead to make it our home (albeit for a month). Our Arcos life was simple. Between work and studies, we hiked the hills, shopped at the local market, cooked Spanish meals, hung our clothes on the rooftop lines and mingled with families in the taverns as we ate tapas and sipped local wines. We spent our evenings in the town square sitting along the stone wall with other families, marveling as our children jumped into f\u00fatbol games with only gestures, smiles and actions to communicate, and we\u2019d return home to a meal, wine and a fire. We were thousands of miles from home, decades away from present day (or so it seemed), and yet, we were also very much at home and very much in the moment.<\/p>\n

RELATED: A Wine Lover’s Guide to Exploring Spain’s Basque Country<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

It was here in our comfortable, brief Spanish life that I discovered the wines of Huerta de Albal\u00e1 and the words of Vicente Taberner Carsi, its founder and president:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live and work to produce one of the finest red wines in Spain; a wine with the character, goodness and strength of the pilgrim who devotes each day to preparing his spirit for its culminating moment, because uncorking a great wine is like reaching Plaza del Obradoiro in Santiago de Compostela for the pilgrim. So before sipping those last drops, you cast your mind back and realise that the best thing was not getting there but the whole journey: every day, every supplication, every friend made along the way, every bottle of wine.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Huerta<\/a><\/p>\n

Uncorking\u00a0Huerta de Albal\u00e1<\/h2>\n

Huerta de Albal\u00e1 was a short drive from Arcos, through the countryside, not unlike the high deserts of Washington\u2019s wine region. With the mountains of the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park in the distance we arrived to the winery, a French Chateau-style structure seamlessly blending into the surrounding landscape. Tours and tastings are by appointment only, but easy to arrange and your personal host will provide you with a tour of the winemaking facilities as well as masterfully convey the family\u2019s passion, principles, values and vision.<\/p>\n

Not surprisingly, the grapes grown on the 91-hectare estate are similar to those found in Washington: Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. However, unlike Washington, among the 225,000 vines at Huerta de Albal\u00e1, the native grapes of Tintilla de Rota can also be found. The winery also produces white wines from 160 hectares of vineyards in nearby Jerez de la Frontera. Combining cutting-edge technology with artisanal winemaking techniques, the producers here harvest by hand, and depending on the wine, ferment in either stainless steel tanks, or 5,000-liter French Allier oak wine vats. The six wines made at Huerta de Albal\u00e1 include:<\/p>\n