ROOM FOR RUEDA

ROOM FOR RUEDA

Rueda is booming. And that's actually quite logical. It is the main Spanish wine region for white wines and they are nice and fresh and tight, with a distinctive bite. The region's main asset: its own verdejo grape. A feast in the Christmas glass!

Verdejo is king 

The verdejo, the grape that only manages to shine in Rueda, plays a prominent role in this region. Verdejo comes from the word verde, which means green in Spanish. You guessed it, verdejo has a green colour! The wines from this grape are characterised by a nice acidity, a pronounced aroma with citrus fruit, apple, pear, flowers and herbs as well as recognisable bitters. The verdejo is not the only grape for white wine in the region; in its shadow are the sauvignon blanc and viura, among others.

Spain's top white wine

The D.O. Rueda is located in the Castilla y León wine region, northwest of Madrid. The vineyards are located on the northern side of the Spanish plateau at an altitude of about 700 to 850 metres. The wine region is one of Spain's historic wine regions and has a long wine tradition. After focusing on sherry, the area modernised very successfully with dry wines based on verdejo. It is now one of Spain's most important wine regions for white wine.

Bubbles from Rueda

Rueda offers a beautiful sparkling wine. The seductive Espumoso has a fine mousse and is made from verdejo. The grapes in Rueda are picked early to preserve freshness. The vinification for Espumoso then goes through the méthode traditionnelle just like champagne - truly a gem for during the holidays!

A white Christmas with Rueda

Want to get to know the wines really well? This year, D.O. Rueda organised the Rueda Wine Hotspot election: the wine shop in the Netherlands where Rueda always means a feast in the glass!

Here are the top five places to go anyway for good wine advice and a nice Rueda:

1. Wijnkoperij Platenburg Rotterdam

2. Wine merchant Henri Bloem Arnhem

3. Wine merchant Henri Bloem The Hague

4. Wijnkoperij Okhuysen Haarlem

5. More-wine-for-women.co.uk

Read more in #WINELIFE#56. Order it here.

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