News from La Perla
- La Perla de Frigiliana
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Hello everybody, hello sunshine! We should all be happy and positively expectant for the spring to come. The days are getting longer and after a long winter finally the days are getting also warmer.
We are and have been wine enthusiasts since the early days of our journey together that began in the 80’s. What we didn’t know is that they make some great wines also here in our hoods. So, what we have been doing throughout the winter season, we have been visiting and learning about local wineries and of course tasted some of their wines in the D.O. Granada-area.
We will not give you standard rating on the wines, just an idea of what you can explore during your stay with us and maybe some interesting stories of how they manage to make such good wines in the heat of southern Spain. Maybe at later stage we will also cover the D.O. Malaga & Sierra de Malaga-area, since we learned that they make some great Pinot Noir near Ronda.
Our location towards Granada, close to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and close to the Mediterranean, creates very special climatic conditions, which allow the cultivation of a significant number of grape varieties. Many of the vineyards are located high (above 1 000 meters) or at least they grow their grapes at higher altitude. This is because the high altitude and thermal amplitude between night and day, the low incidence of pests and lower humidity produce a slow and natural maturation, allowing the vine plant to develop in better conditions than in other latitudes. Mostly the vines are grown on clayey soil, with limestone, quartzite, schist and slate. Some of the grapes may also be picked earlier than elsewhere to keep them brisk and not allowing the sugar to concentrate on them. This is the case especially with the whites to make them dry.
Many of the vineyards are small and produce +/- 10 000 bottles a year. The grape variety is as large as you can imagine for the red wines. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Tempranillo, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Grenache and even Pinot Noir. Most use oak barrels for aging the wines from 6 to 12 months. We found typical Spanish aromas to the nose in most of them with a light touch of ripe black berries, notes of toasted skin and herbaceous tones with aromatic persistence. Intense in the mouth, powerful and with an elegant memory of fine chocolate. Quite sweet and pleasant tannins, with hints of licorice. Long and persistent. Exquisite balance between mouth and nose. Señorio de Nevada the easiest winery to reach and great wines and a good restaurant https://www.senoriodenevada.es/en/winery-and-wine-tasting/. Our favorites and still within quite easy reach https://bodegascalvente.com/sobre-nosotros/ and https://www.bodegacuatrovientos.es/ with the later also having a great restaurant.
For whites the grape variety isn’t as large. Viognier, Vijiriego, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscatel. Mainly pale-yellow color, with golden highlights, marked aromas of fresh fruit (apple, tropical fruits like pineapple and mango), with a background of white flowers, citrus and balsamic notes. On the mouth they were mostly fresh, expressive and fruity, with a balsamic background resulting in soft, with a well-integrated acidity, and persistent finish. The ones that are dry and made out of Muscatel are typically picked raw and early, so it is interesting how a typically sweet grape can produce such a great dry white wine.
For more information about the area itself you can find here: https://www.cellartours.com/spain/spanish-wine-regions/andalucia
And for the tours in the vineyards, we followed this site: https://rutadelosvinosdegranada.com/
It has been great to chat with you again and hope to talk some more wine in the future, until next time, with love, Maarit & Hannu
For news and updates, follow us on
Comments