Contributing Wine Editor, David Harker, visits a labour of love in the hills of Valencia.
London wine fairs can be intimidating. The hurly burly of the hall. Busy buyers, heads down in their notes. Pushy producers, promoting their labels. And on the fringe, a young Spanish girl ignored by the passing trade. Where was she from? What wine was she showing?
Alba is from Valencia. The wines from local varieties; the almost extinct tortosí and little known bonicaire.
My interest piqued I asked about the winemaking. Sheepish, she explained that she was there representing the winemaker and may not be able to answer the most technical questions. She had no need to worry, the wines spoke for her.
Tortosí is a white-wine grape variety, it is grown in small quantities around Valencia. Bonicaire, or Trepat, is a red variety indigenous to northeastern Spain. If you have tasted it before then it was most likely in a sparkling rosé from Catalonia. On its own the grape makes fresh, red berry flavoured wines. These are wines of character, perfectly adapted to their local climate. Wines that taste of Valencia. I resolved to find out more.
Valencia is better known for oranges and paella than vines. Yet the story of its wine making heritage is a familiar one. A wine producing area that predates the Roman Empire. A prosperous period when the wines enjoyed international renown. Followed by disease, depression, war and neglect. Today a passionate new generation is reviving their Valencian wine heritage. They are rediscovering old varieties and are focused on sustainability.
In the hills forty miles inland from the coast, where the winters are too cold for oranges, is the region of Vall d’Albaida. Named for the colour of its soil and its Moorish past. A land of Mediterranean forests, high mountains and river valleys.
Toni Beneito is a mess. Well, that’s how he describes himself. A textile engineer transformed into a winemaker. Already a successful businessman, in 2019 he decided to pursue his wine dream. Inspired by childhood memories of the harvest festival and treading grapes in the family’s tiny cellar.
Now he has his own winery, on the El Cabeço estate in the shadow of the Sierra Mariola. In 1880 vineyards covered the hills of El Cabeço. That is until the plague of phylloxera forced the vines to be uprooted and time stood still. Almost 150 years later Toni is working to recover these vineyards.
The original plan was modest in its ambitions. Rebuild the original 1880 winery and recover the abandoned vineyards. Sadly the old winery was beyond repair. Four years later the project has been expanded to include a modern winery and tasting room.
Gradually the vineyards are coming back to life. Nurtured by sustainable practices, the wines will be labelled organic from the next harvest. Three years after the certification process began.
The winemaking is meticulous. Vineyards are manually harvested and the grapes carefully sorted, berry by berry. Where oak is used it is with a light touch, using barrels made in the Basque Country from French oak
Although the winemaking is serious there is a playful side to Toni’s character. He is experimenting with burying individual bottles to protect them from the intense Valencian heat. As would have been the practice in the days before air conditioning. On my visit Toni exhumed a bottle buried in the sun bleached calcareous soil for twelve months. Despite being buried only a few inches below the surface the bottle was cool to the touch and the wine perfectly preserved. The preservation of rare old vines is a labour of love for Toni and his small team. We should be grateful that he found his heart in the Sierra Mariola.
