This month the intrepid #WorldWineTravel group of bloggers concludes its 2021 virtual tour of Spain with a visit to the Castilla-La Mancha wine region in central Spain. Deanna of Wineivore is hosting this month. You may read her invitation post here.

Castilla-La Mancha At-A-Glance

• Climate: According to a local proverb – “nine months of winter and three months of hell”
• Grows more than half of all the grapes in Spain
• Known for producing wines with great price/quality ratio, and formerly known for producing bulk wines
• The most widely planted white varietal is Airen, which is most often blended with other grapes or used as a based wine for Brandy. Other authorized white grape varieties include: Macabeo (a.k.a. Viura), Chardonnay, Verdejo, Moscatel de grano menudo, and Sauvignon Blanc,
• The red grapes are primarily blends of any of the following varietals: Temperanillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Garnacha, Alicante, Bouschet, Monastrell, Syrah, and Bobal
• According to Wines of Spain, there are 10 DO (Denominación de Origen) sub-appellations in Castilla-LaMancha including Europe’s largest officially delimited wine zone, La Mancha
• Home to 8 Vino de Pago estates, the highest appellation status in Spain

Although famous for its Manchego cheese and Don Quixote, Castilla-La Mancha also has a deeper, broader cultural history. Scattered throughout the region are various World Heritage sites, including medieval castles, Stone Age rock paintings, and the historic cities of Toledo and Cuenca explains WineSearcher.com

In My Glass

While searching for a bottle for this theme, I wanted to find a bottle that was produced from sustainably farmed grapes with minimal intervention. For me, that meant checking Rock Juice, a San Francisco-based private sommelier service and that curate a selection of “natural” wines. I found a bottle of 2018 Bodegas Gartias “Sol” Tardana.

Not only was the wine sustainably produced, it also from a totally new-to-me grape variety – Tardana. Even better!!

From the Rock Juice website…In the hot, dry region of Manchuela, inland from Valancia, you’ll find the small family farm called Bodegas Gratias, founded by a brother and sister and their spouses.  The family is passionate about biodynamic farming indigenous grapes to the region, many of which are grown nowhere else in the world.

Like the Tardana featured here, a nearly extinct light skinned grape that loves the very hot and dry climate of Manchuela….”Sol is a very unique white wine as its very difficult to find any other dry white wine 100% made with Tardana grape.  Because it is harvested so late, usually in November, the Tardana grape receives more hours of sunshine every vintage. Hence its name.”

My curiosity piqued, I dug a little deeper into the background of Tardana.

Tardana, which also goes by the name Planta Nova is indigenous to the neighboring Valencia wine region. It is a double aptitude grape, meaning it used as much for table grape consumption as for wine vinification.

It’s a late ripening white grape that is harvested even later than red varieties. It is most often used for blending grapes. It is disappearing because old-vine Tardana parcels are being replaced with other grape varieties.

Tardana wines have a characteristic and intense aroma of white fruits, and are suitable for long aging on the lees, producing white full bodied wines and moderate alcohol content explains the Bodegas Gratias. This Bodegas Gratias blog post is a great resource for more information.

Fruit for this wine is sourced from certified biodynamic farmed estate in Villatoya. Planted on white, chalky, and limestone soils; after a gentle pressing, 1/3 of the wine finishes its fermentation in clay amphoras (tinajas), followed by 3 months of aging on the lees; bottled unfined/unfiltered with zero-added So2.

Pale straw yellow color with green highlights. Aromas of green apple, mixed citrus – Key lime, lemon zest, and a bit of grapefruit – and pineapple with a hint of chalk. On the palate it’s medium-bodied and dry with vibrant, zesty acidity and flavors that echo its aromas, with an appealing hint of saline minerality. 13% abv|SRP – $22. Imported by Rock Juice. I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle, and would purchase again. Bodegas Gratias recommends pairing this wine with Mediterranean cuisine.

About Bodegas Gratias

Bodegas Gratias is a small family farm, founded by a brother and sister and their spouses. The winery is located in Manchuela D.O in the eponymous municipality. The vineyard is located in Villatoya, near the border of the Valencia and Castilla-La Mancha.

The family is passionate about biodynamic farming indigenous grapes to the region, many of which are grown nowhere else in the world.

If you’re interested in learning more about the wines of Castilla-La Mancha, I invite you to read what what my fellow World Wine Travel writers discovered.

• Camilla is Chasing Windmills with Tojunto + Bodegas Volver La Mancha Single Vineyard Tempranillo 2017 at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Martin is Tasting A Rare Grape Variety: The 2018 Bodegas Gratias Tardana Sol at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
• Jeff entices us with La Mancha by the Liter – Gulp Hablo at Food Wine Click!
• Gwendolyn is Dreaming Impossible Dreams: Tilting at Windmills withTempranillo and Verdejo from Castilla La Mancha at Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley.
• Lynn is living La Mancha Local – Wine with Project Envínate at Savor the Harvest
• Linda shares ‘Valley of Rocks’ Wine from Spain Rocks with Spanish-Style Pizza at My Full Wine Glass.
• Terri pairs Turkey Tamales and Eguren Tempranillo Vino De La Tierra De Castillo at Our Good Life.
• Deanna is having a Rock Crab Boil + a Castillan Mag in a Bag Rose at Wineivore

Also, please join The World Wine Travel on Twitter chat on November 27, 2021 at 8am PST/ 11am EST. Follow #worldwinetravel and join the conversation!