This is a first edition of my virtual wine travel column. I am convinced that companies that are on the forefront of organic winemaking deserve a special attention and care, as much as they give to growing grapes organically and producing amazing wines.
I start with a company called Albet i Noya, which is located in Catalunya, Spain and boasts with a rich winemaking history, including organic of course (and not just because their name starts with ‘A’!).
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The vineyards are just beautiful (taken from their website) and according to them, the fourth and current generation of Albet i Noya family is responsible for turning organic. Apparently they have started to produce organic wines specifically for Danish market in the very beginning, and, I presume, the test was successful, so they have turned more and more vineyards organic. The entire estate is now organic.
copyright albetinoya.cat
They have 26 wines on offer, all organic again (quite logical as per EU regulation, organic wine is the one produced from grapes grown organically).
I am tasting one of their wines, Lignum! 2012 and it has a lot to offer – a pleasant round acidity, generous f
ruit (blackberry and plums), touches of vanilla and forest fruit. It is quite complex, but just right; it won’t get your taste buds wonder, but just very pleasant. Oak is opening up slightly later and that is a very round, vanilla-like sensation.
I won’t go into much detail (you can buy this wine from Vinceremos), simply because you have an opportunity to taste it all – you just need to book a visit. Wine traveling can be so exciting, but organic one will blow your mind! Imagine, you are an explorer on an electric bike, touring their vineyards the whole day! They will lend you a ‘burricleta’ and you can spend the whole day outside, wondering around vines and vineyards – this is for just 39.90 euro. For the similar price of 36.30 euro you may be doing something much more effortless – having a gastronomy tour with pairing their wines to some exquisite dishes. If your plan is to go with a flow, for just 9 euro you can visit their premises and then decide what to do next. Adventurous types will not be disappointed – Albet i Noya company offers to take part in an experiment. As it seems, they are conducting a research on grape varieties… care to take part and see the results? This geeky part of yourself can be discovered for under 20 euro.
Want to know more? Just come to their ‘Visit’ page.
Happy exploring! If you manage to go and have fun, please share your stories and pictures with all of us!
