2018 Jorge Ordoñez & Co. Moscatel Old Vines Botani + Trout Tartine with Stone Fruit #WorldWineTravel

This month, the World Wine Travel group of writers will be taking a virtual trip to Andalusia in southern Spain. See my invitation post here.

My wife and I visited the region in 2013 during a three week visit in Spain that started in Barcelona and ended in Andalucia, visiting Sevilla and Granada.

We planned to visit Jerez last month during a trip to Portugal and Spain, but we had to cancel the trip the day before we were scheduled to fly because my wife came fell seriously ill to a bacterial infection that required her to be hospitalized. Good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, we’ll make it to Jerez next year!

About Andalusia

This vibrant region is the most populous in Spain, and has a colorful history. Its strategic position at the gateway to the Mediterranean and its proximity to Africa have made it a target for many settlements and invasions throughout history. Muslims, Romani, Iberians, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Visigoths, Byzantines, Christians and Castilians have all called Andalucia home at some stage, and each culture has left its mark explains WineSearcher.com

Please note that Granada is now also a D.O.P. of Andalusia

As a result of this multicultural past, Andalucia has a strong and unique cultural identity. My wife and I visited Sevilla and Granada in 2013. I can unequivocally tell you that Andalucia has a different vibe than the rest of Spain. It’s multicultural character manifest itself in its architecture and the diversity of its people.

Bull-fighting and flamenco, two quintessential traditions associated with Spain, actually originated in Andalucia.

It is the only European region with both Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines.

In My Glass

The wine I selected for this month is the 2018 Jorge Ordoñez & Co. Moscatel Old Vines Botani. I was inspired to pick this wine because one of my most vivid memories of our trip to Spain in 2013 was enjoying a fabulous bottle of dry Moscatel in a Japanese restaurant in Granada.

The wine is from the Sierras de Málaga D.O.P. Sierras de Málaga and Málaga share the same geographical area and Consejo Regulador (regulatory wine authority), but Sierras de Málaga produces wines from a wider variety of grapes and unfortified wines.

Málaga and Sierras de Málaga DOP

The history of viticulture in Sierras de Málaga stretches back to the Bronze age, when Phoenician traders planted the first vineyards in Spain utilizing Muscat of Alexandria from Egypt.

Muscat de Alexandria (a.k.a. Moscatel de Alejandria) is oldest variety in the Muscat family and one of the few remaining genetically unmodified vitis vinifera cultivars remaining in the world today.

Fruit for this wine is sourced from 45-75 year old vines, goblet trained planted on steep slate slopes. It was fermented dry in stainless steel, with 8 months aging on lees.

2018 Jorge Ordoñez & Co. Moscatel Old Vines Botani

Pale straw color with inviting orchard fruit, lychee, white flower, and orange preserve aromas. On the palate it’s medium-bodied, vinous, and textured with vibrant acidity. Subtly fruity on entry, but finishes dry with white peach, just ripe apricot, mandarin orange, lime and a hint of lychee flavors. Medium+ finish. 100% Muscat of Alexandria. 13.5% abv|SRP – $18. This is a delicious and alluring wine, I gladly buy again and again!

On My Plate

I paired this wine with trout tartine with stone fruit, spicy bomba spread, frisée, and pickled onions from our favorite local restaurant, Top Hatters Kitchen and Bar.

It was a very good pairing. This wine was also wonderful paired with a White Chicken Chili, I subsequently prepared.

About Jorge Ordóñez  Selections

Grupo Jorge Ordóñez was founded in 2004. It is composed of eight wineries that produce wines from grapes grown in thirteen different denominations of origin across Spain. They are focused on crafting wines from the oldest vineyards of Spain’s indigenous grape varieties. All of the vineyards are head-trained, dry farmed, and cared for with the most traditional means of viticulture.

Bodegas Jorge Ordóñez Málaga is one of the eight wineries. It is located in Ordóñez’s hometown. It’s a partnership between Ordóñez and the Kracher family of Austria. The winery was founded with the goal of resuscitating the centuries long tradition of winemaking in Málaga.

Supplemental Wines of Andalusia Discoveries

See below for what my fellow World Wine Travel writers discovered about the Wines of Andalusia:

If you’re up early enough, please join our Twitter chat all about Wines of Andalusia on October 23 at 8am PT/11am ET. Just search for the #WorldWineTravel hashtag on Twitter.

11 Comments

  1. Nicole Ruiz Hudson says:

    I’m so sorry your wife got ill but I hope she’s been recovering ok!
    Sound like a wonderful pairing and I’m sure it was fantastic with the Botani!

    1. Martin D. Redmond says:

      Thank Nicole. Yes, my wife is slowly recovering.

  2. advinetures says:

    What a shame your trip was canceled but no doubt you’ll be there soon…a great overview and we know this producer well but not this wine. On it!

    1. Martin D. Redmond says:

      Thanks for stopping by. Up until this wine, I’ve only known Jorge Ordonez by reputation.

  3. Lynn says:

    So glad you choose Andalucia. I latched onto sherry not stopping a minute to remember a great hiking trip Mark and I had in the Sierra Nevada from a tiny town on the eastern side.

    You teased us with a few photos from your 2013 trip, I’ll bet it was amazing. Any favorite areas from that trip?

    I hope Gigi is 100%! Gosh I’d hate for her to miss out on what sounds like a super wine here (and all the wine you open 😉

    1. Martin D. Redmond says:

      Funny you mention Gigi missing out on wine. After getting released from the hospital, she lost her palate for wine for about 2 weeks! I was starting to get a little nervous! There are too many highlights from that 2013, but going Rioja then San Sebastian we great. We both loved Barcelona, Sevilla and Granada. I know you two have visited Spain. What have been your favorites so far?

      1. Lynn says:

        That’d make me nervous too! We also loved Barcelona…. and San Sebastián, it’s such a civilized city. NW of Madrid, Salamanca is nice for historical things. On the smaller side, Logrono in Rioja, Altea on the Costa Blanca (S of Valencia & N of Alicante). We are looking forward to exploring a lot more of Spain when mark finishes his PhD next June. I want to go to Emporda for wine.

  4. Very fun to see a non-fortified wine from the region. This must have required a bit of detective work!

    1. Martin D. Redmond says:

      Yes, indeed it did Jeff! But it’s the kind of detective work we like!

Comments are closed.