We received a bottle of 2009 Ventosa Vines Bobal for review and were anxious to try it. The wine was made from the Bobal grape, a variety that we had not tasted before. Bobal is indigenous to Spain and grapes for this wine were grown in Manchuela, a comarca of Castila-La-Mancha. This area receives constant breezes from the Mediterranean that cools the vines. Ventosa is the Spanish word for windy. Think of the scene of a windmill and Don Quixote. A windmill image is on the bottle label.

The wine was a dark ruby to purple color. It had black fruit on the bouquet and taste with a hint of violets. There was a slight oak influence, but it was noted in the background. Perhaps the most impressive part of the quaffable wine was the velvety mouth feel. It is so soft that I wonder if white wine lovers would like this Bobal if they tried it. I was also surprised to see that the alcohol was only 12.5%, lower than expected for a wine from a Mediterranean climate. The grape has been gaining in popularity recently in part due to the ability to make a smooth lower alcohol wine.

In June there will be a United States tour of wines from the Castilla-La-Mancha area in three cities: Houston, June 3rd, Denver, June 5th and Los Angeles on June 6th. Check out the Facebook page.

Cheers,
Terry