Uva de Vida Biografico Roble, Castilla-La Mancha 2016

Castilla La Mancha , to the South West of Madrid in the very heart of Spain, has traditionally been known for producing vast quantities of table wine about half of all Spanish grapes are grown here. Whilst most vineyards lie at 500 700 m on sandy, calcareous and clayey soils , only grape that can withstand the extreme temperature (40ºC to 12ºC) and dry conditions thrive here; for whites this is principally Airen and for reds many of the usual dark skinned varietals. The region itself has 9 DO’s which, since the 80’s, have really taken advantage of new technology to greatly improve the quality and freshness of the wines.

Uva de Vida (“The Grape of Life”), est. 2012 , is the vision of wife and husband team Carmen Lopez Delgado and Luiz Ruiz Martin. Based in Santa Olalla, 50km west of Toledo, Carmen makes half a dozen wines from their 9hct property centered on Graciano, an uncommon variety in the region. Following strict natural and biodynamic processes, both in the vines and the winery, Carmen doesn’t filter, clarify or add sulfites at any point saying they “they are toxic and, for wine, they are an atomic bomb”. Through invigorating the life of the soil, the use of sonar energy and no intervention in the wine they are creating structured, elegant, fresh and pure wines. The winery is a member of the tiny prestigious biodynamic association “La Renaissance des Appellations”, chaired by Nicolas Joly