AH NO, boyo! Not in the Land of my Fathers but in Andalucia, inland from Malaga in southern Spain, travelling through gorges as well as valleys to meet old friends and taste local wines.

A couple of years ago we visited Andalucia and one of the places where we stayed had two bonuses: an infant vineyard and a railway embankment, which is when Wink learnt of my love of trains…

A few years ago Brian and Monica Green moved to the village of Estacion Cortes de la Frontera (also known as La Cañada del Real Tesoro) on the edge of the Grazalema National Park, south of Ronda. We rented their lovely little cottage, La Casita, adjoining their villa, Finca del Rio, an old Andalucian farmhouse.

After they’d moved in and started the renovations they learnt that the original name of the Finca was La Viña de la Iglesia, the Church Vineyard. It would appear that the Greens enjoy a challenge so most of their land has now been replanted with over a thousand Tempranillo and Syrah vines to recreate wine-growing in this area.

So we were interested to hear of the progress of their vineyard and as this year we were staying with friends near Antequera, we decided to visit them and sample their first vintage, 2009.

The round journey by car would be at least 5 hours but we remembered the embankment and decided we would let the ‘train take the strain’ – with a shorter journey time, too – and their local station was but a few minutes away.

With Ian Allen Trainspotting book in hand (I wish) we set off from Antequera on a very neat diesel set (technical term). The ride was comfortable and the views were great, especially approaching Ronda and the section between there and our destination. However, there do seem to be a lot of broiler chicken farms in this part of Spain which wasn’t so appealing.

At each station the train was greeted and flagged away by the smartly becapped station master – who was also the ticket office clerk, signalman etc. I think he made the coffee as well…

Monica picked us up from the Estacion Cortes de la Frontera as we only had a couple of hours before we would catch the train back to Ronda (more in a future post). She told us that the line, which goes from Granada in the north east to Algeciras on the coast, had been closed during the winter for track improvements, which we had appreciated on the comfortable journey.

Brian showed us the progress of their vineyard which looked in very good shape, well worth all their efforts. Although the land seems very arid, that is just its appearance in summer and indeed this area is the least dry part of Andalucia. Last winter there was sufficient rain to replenish the water stocks in southern Spain for a couple of years, and the seemingly gentle river Guadiaro, which runs below the property, was a raging torrent only a few months ago!

After a restorative beer, Brian and Monica offered us a little tasting of four local Sierras de Málaga wines, including the very first vintage of their vino de casa that they have named Piedra Verde 2009, only bottled a couple of weeks previously. Some fabulous local jamon and sausage accompanied.

All the wine in our tasting were from the Sierras de Málaga DO, which allows young, unfortified wines to be made in the same geographical area as the DO Málaga, famed for its sweet wines. In this new sub-region, as in others created elsewhere in Andalucia, producers are adapting to the changing market demands for lighter wines.

Los Aguilares 2007
Light ruby, red fruits on nose. Dry with soft tannins with attractive red fruits continuing the the theme of the bouquet. Medium length.

Principe Alfonso de Hohenlohe 2006
Dark red with ripe mulberries on the nose. Dry, well rounded tannins, hints of black pepper and warm red fruits. Long finish. Brian told us about the illustrious name on this wine, which belongs to the ‘founder’ of modern Marbella, and I found more about him: “He and his uncle, the Marques de Soriano, were travelling from Gibraltar to Malaga in a charcoal-powered Rolls-Royce when they stopped by the old fishing village of Marbella for a picnic. Seeing the potential of the place, sheltered by the dramatic Sierra Blanca, Soriano decided to buy the crumbling farmhouse adjacent to where they had stopped, with 24 acres of land; Hohenlohe persuaded his father to sell off his wine cellars in Malaga and to build the first of the new houses at Marbella…”

Gadea 2006
Ruby red with ripe red berries and violets on nose. Dry well structured with sweet, ripe tannins. Long velvety finish. 100% Syrah.

Piedra Verde 2009
Deep purple, nose a bit dirty but we think/hope that will clear. However good fruit on the palate, light tannins, medium length. Good first effort!

Our visit to the Finca del Rio was far too short as we were constrained by the RENFE timetable and had to return to the station to catch the train back up to Ronda.

It was lovely to see Brian and Monica again, their vines, the magnificent lavender plants (lavender oil is on the agenda) and Molly, their Lost and now Found Bassett Hound!

Do have a look at this short Animoto video (http://animoto.com/play/czmFl9Ebw8Kxfn4JKqHUBA) I’ve produced, especially for trainspotters!

And you can read the orgininal article here: http://brettthewinemaestro.wordpress.com/2010/08/19/through-the-valleys-to-ronda/

About the author - Brett Jones

For the last 34 years I have enjoyed the hospitality business, especially wine. I run a wine club, The Wine Maestro Club, organise wine tastings, wine dinners as well as corporate events. I also work with my partner Wink with her travel website Wine Travel Guides. Do visit my website The Wine Maestro to learn more http://www.thewinemaestro.co.uk/

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Through the Valleys to Ronda - Wine Maestro
Saturday, 21 August 2010
AH NO, boyo! Not in the Land of my Fathers but in Andalucia, inland from Malaga in southern Spain, travelling through gorges as well as...

© 2012 - Secret Andalucia - Guadiaro Valley, near Ronda

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