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Recently I had the fortune of sending questions to the [Señor Arrufi of Bodega Altavin->http://www.altavins.com/%5D. Altavin is a Bodega in the [D.O. of Terra Alta->http://www.doterraalta.com/%5D which is located next door to the [DOCG of Priorato->http://www.winesfromspain.com/icex/cda/controller/pageGen/0,3346,1549487_4946338_4944445_1108_-1,00.html%5D. Currently they produce four wines made from a blend of garnacha, syrah, merlot, cariñea, cabernet sauvignon and garnacha blanca. I recently had the chance to taste there garnacha blanca and was very impressed. Make sure to check out my notes on it that precede this article.
This article was conducted in Spanish and translated into English by myself and Eziquiel Sánchez-Mateos of [Reserva y Cata->http://www.reservaycata.com], a local chain of [wine shops located in Madrid->http://www.softdoc.es/madrid_guide/shopping/wines.html%5D. To read this article in Spanish please click here: [Altavins wines and the Terra Alta D.O.->http://www.catavino.net/?page_id=83%5D
How long has Altavins been making wine? What is your mission statement when it comes to the wine you produce?
1) Altavins began making wine since the year 2001. In regards to our goals, we are a young vineyard, created by three people who have relationships both professionally and personally with the area, and who have the goal of creating wines of high quality. All of this is possible thanks to the high quantity of the grapes produced in the D.O. Terra Alta (40 million kgs/year). Also with the large variety of varietals and old vineyards (with history) this allows us to make a very exclusive selection, choosing only the highest quality grapes for each style we make.
What does the future hold for your vineyard? Do you currently have plans to expand or grow?
2) Our immediate future is to grow. Our idea is to continue to being a small bodega, exclusive and to reach a production of 200,000 bottles (currently we produce 50,000), as we continue to be focused on maximum quality.
Last week I had the chance to taste [your wine Ilercavonia->http://www.catavino.net/archives/79/2005/08/29/%5D and was very impressed. It is made from the [grape garnacha blanca->http://twis.info/grape.php?ID=45&select=g%5D which is not very well known in the world of wine. What is the history of this wine with your vineyard? What can you tell us about the overall character of this grape?
3) Garnacha is a variety of grape that is native to this region. It is a grape that makes a powerful wine, complex and with many nuances in the nose and on the palate. Large and persistent, it’s characterized by it’s golden color. It is a varietal that adapts well to a Mediterranean climate with moderate winters and hot summers. Probably it is the varietal that could be most representative of the D.O. Terra Alta.
This year we are in the middle of one of the worst droughts in history. What effect do you think this is going to have on your wines this year?
4) It will be a very irregular harvest that will make us be much pickier when selecting the premium fruit. Also it will produce a wine with low acid. The last rains helped the vines to become mature, but these rains were irregular, and in some cases came too late.
What makes Terra Alta unique to Spain? How does this translate to how your wines taste?
5) It’s in the powerful wines, in which garnacha plays a stellar role. They are wines that have a good equilibrium between strength, the subtlety of fruit and herbal aromas. These differences combined with the lack of knowledge(less and less) about the D.O. [Terra Alta] make the discovery of this D.O. a pleasant surprise.
What do you find most interesting about where the Terra Alta has come from and where it has yet to go? Do you have anything you’d like to see change about the DO Penedés?
6) The region of Terra Alta has been producing wine for centuries. The problem is that it has been a large producer of bulk wine, sending this wine to other regions in Cataluyna and Spain. Change has occurred with the creation of small bodegas who apply modern technology and better grape selection, it has increased the products quality and has showed the route to show the final products potential.
Where this will lead, depends on us. We have a big advantage in that we still have yet to be discovered. Now there are bodegas showing up that have been for a few years working well, and have made excellent wines, recognized at the national and international levels.
We always need to change things with the D.O. We have to!! A greater professionalism in the D.O. so as to harness the quality of the bottled wines, and to increase the demand for cultivation of the grapevine, and to increase the promotion of our products. In summary, all it entails is the change the mentality of the people related to the world of wine. Agriculturalists and viticulturalists. In all they need to play a more important role in professionalizing and modernizing the cooperatives that exist.
Outside of Spain, Spanish wine is starting to get noticed for more than just Rioja, where quality has long been a standard. What is the Terra Alta offering in terms of quality to the markets outside of Spain?
7) First you have know the large variety of excellent wines we have in Spain. This does not end with Rioja, Priorato, and the Ribera del Duero. That we can make wines complex and with pleasant qualities and also that there are other varietals, not known before, that are authentic gems. In addition it is also very important that these wines have consistent quality where the customer can trust that these wines will always be good.
HERE IS WHERE I CAN AT LEAST GET THE PREVIEW
It seems that Spanish wine is just starting to realize its potential on the world market. What do you think still needs to be done to get more people to try Spanish wines? What are you doing to get your name out there?
8) Promotion, humility – in the sense to not think that we are already there, and a lot of work. In reality Spain is making good wines in regions that have not been traditionally wine producing. That we can not let down our guard, and above all, to believe in the project . Believe in what you do, what you do really does matter, because the features that identify us and make us different will be the ones that please the people that love wine and enjoy these wines.
Other than the Terra Alta what other regions are interesting to you currently in Spain?
9) Many, we have regions with very good wines, like Rueda, Galicia, in the community of Valencia, in the community of Madrid and Extremadura…What is more surprising is that the quality of the wines in these regions have not traditionally been producers of wine. This shows the “health” of viticulture in our country.
I want to thank Señor Arrufi very much for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer these questions. I also want to encourage all of you to take the time to search out some wines from the D.O. of Terra Alta, if not from Altavins themselves.
Till soon, Ryan
Contact Information:
Altavins
Tarragona, 42
43876 BATEA
Catalunya, Spain
tel. 977 43 05 96
fax. 977 43 03 71
altavins@altavins.com
