The story of Verdejo starts during the reign of Alfonso VI as the King of Castile and León in 11th century. Alfonso called on the Mozarabs, a group of Christians and Jews from the Muslim ruled Al-Andalus, and offered them land and other rewards to settle there. The Mozarabs had acquired the Verdejo grape variety from North Africa through the silver trade route, and they brought it with them. The grape found a comfy home in the region of Rueda as it loved the rocky and sandy soil rich with iron and limestone.
(This article was written for GrapeBunch, our weekly wine periodical. Click here to read the original!)
At first Rueda mainly produced red wines until phylloxera hit in the late 18th century, causing a transition to whites. Even then Verdejo was outshined by the Palomino grape, which they used to make fortified wines, but Rueda would eventually become almost exclusively planted with Verdejo. In the 20th century, the famous winemaker from Rioja named Marqués de Riscal heard about the potential of Verdejo from Rueda. So he went there with French enologist Émile Peynaud and they began to produce dry and unoaked Verdejo. It was so good that its popularity grew and grew!
Today Verdejo and Rueda go hand in hand, even though there are a few places in Spain that grow it as well (I've actually had one from California!) Outside of the region itself, the wines of Rueda are very, very popular all over Spain. In 1980 Rueda was granted Denominación de Origen (DO) status. To be labeled as a "Rueda" the wine must be at least 50% Verdejo. To be labeled as a "Rueda Verdejo" it must be at least 85% Verdejo, but most of them are 100%.
The grape itself is not an easy one to grow. It's thin skinned and must be handled very carefully. To retain the character that you want out of Verdejo, the grapes are harvested at night when it's cooler so the juice being crushed is the freshest possible. Although it was once believed to be the same as the Portuguese Verdelho, DNA testing has proven they are different varieties.
So what is a Verdejo wine like? It's light bodied, medium-to-high in acidity, crisp, and thirst quenching! You'll find aromas and flavors of lime, white peach, melon, grapefruit pith, fennel, grass, and fresh herbs. It is an excellent alternative to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio.
MARQUÉS DE CÁCERES VERDEJO
Marqués de Cáceres Verdejo from Rueda is crisp and medium bodied with notes of melon, citrus, and vanilla. Pairing: herb rubbed chicken.
Subscribe and geek out about wine with Joey every week!
Joey CascoBeverage MarketerCertified Specialist of Wine
Certified Specialist of Spirits
Comments
Post a Comment