It’s an early morning September day in La Solana, Ciudad Real, Spain, and grape growers are hauling their harvests to their respective cooperatives. The morning light showers the white grapes with beautiful light and the smells of fresh fruit...
This year, D.O. La Mancha wineries have been taking great strides to become the first thought for Spanish Wine in the United States.
Since May, the D.O. La Mancha has launched a very ambitious promotional campaign in different cities of...
by Fred Minnick
Long ago, before Spanish wines were common on American restaurant menus, Tempranillo was not widely planted in the La Mancha region.
Then, a spirited winemaker named Miguel Angel Valentin Diaz saw an opportunity. He noticed longer sun hours...
by Fred Minnick
When wine historians assess the contributions of private wineries to a region, Vinicola de Castilla might very well have had the greatest impact on a Spanish wine region.
Formed in 1976, Vinicola de Castilla entered the winemaking scene...
It's Time again!! Our 2nd La Mancha Wine Tour!! is about to star! OCTOBER 18...
I am so excited!, we have lots of great wines for you to taste!!! This Time we’re in Los Angeles, a bastion of great restaurants,...
by Fred Minnick
The name Familia Martinez Bujanda is synonymous with high-quality Spanish wine.
With five wineries in three different Spanish Denominations of Origin, Familia Martinez Bujanda’s wineries have one commonality: They strive to pick the best grapes from their own...
by Fred Minnick
In Noblejas, Toledo, every house was once a winery. Driving through the small village in the Toledo Province, you’ll see iron-bar covered windows in the 17th Century homes that once stored wine in large clay vats.
Families would...
by Fred Minnick
Despite being the world’s largest wine-producing region, D.O. La Mancha is frequently misunderstood. The Spanish wine region’s cooperative system can be especially confusing.
Like the U.S. farm cooperatives trying to procure more money for their farmers, the D.O....
By Doc Lawrence
The Ritz-Carlton Atlanta faces fabled Peachtree Street where the world premiere of Gone With The Wind took place in 1939. Just a few blocks away is the white marble tomb of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and...
By Fred Minnick
Oh, how delicious the Tempranillo grape is.
The native-Spanish grape has won the hearts of wine lovers from around the world. This rich, well-structured red wine provides the perfect acidity, tannins and color, with a frequent nose of...
By Fred Minnick
When it comes to value, an often-overlooked wine comes from the white grape Airén. Many people might scoff at the suggestion of Airén being a value wine, because it’s so widely used in Spanish brandy, but it’s...
By Doc Lawrence
"Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection . . .” - from “Death In...
by Fred Minnick
What is value wine?
In 2008, I wrote for an investment website, Banrate.com, that it’s a buyer’s market for wine and that wine is a great investment. I still believe that, but I also believe value wine...