{"product_id":"2020-alvar-de-dios-aciano-castilla-y-leon-tinta-de-toro-liberty","title":"2020 Álvar de Dios, `Aciano` Castilla y León Tinta de Toro - Liberty","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"MuiPaper-root MuiAccordion-root accordion_accordion__I9cut accordion_producer__roSqQ Mui-expanded MuiAccordion-rounded MuiPaper-elevation1 MuiPaper-rounded\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-root MuiCollapse-entered\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapper\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapperInner\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv role=\"region\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiAccordionDetails-root accordion_producerAccordion__OujSI\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eÁlvar de Dios Hernández is a Toro native who grew up among his grandfather's old vineyards in the village of El Pego. Before becoming the custodian of these vines in 2008, Álvar spent several years in Sierra de Gredos, where he worked with Fernando Garcia and Dani Landi. The area underwent a winemaking revolution at this time, which led to Álvar and others adopting a more Burgundian approach to production by focusing on single vineyards and ‘village’ wines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eIn 2014, Álvar founded his eponymous winery and, in 2015, purchased additional old vineyards in nearby Arribes del Duero. He now farms 12 hectares of biodynamic and organic vines in the villages of El Pego, El Maderal and Villadepera. The wines are all labelled as Vino de la Tierra de Castilla Y León to give Álvar the freedom to work outside of the Toro and Arribes del Duero DO requirements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eÁlvar was recommended to us by Javi Revert of Finca Sandoval, who rates him as one of the brightest of the younger generation of Spanish winemakers. As Luis Gutiérrez says, “He's one of the names to follow in the zone, where he aims for elegance and light in the wines, keeping the freshness and the character of the places.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eIn El Pego Álvar makes two wines from his grandfather's original vineyards, planted 800 metres above sea level. The soils are comprised of quaternary sand deposits rather than clay; this accounts for the high proportion of old vines in the village, as phylloxera is unable to survive in sandy soils. ‘Tio Uco’ is Álvar’s ‘village’ wine, blending Tinta de Toro (the local name for Tempranillo) and Garnacha from three sites, two of which have an average vine age of over 90 years old. The grapes are whole bunch fermented in stainless steel using indigenous yeasts before ageing in oak foudres for six to eight months. ‘Aciano’ comprises 100% Tinta de Toro sourced from Álvar’s oldest, ungrafted vineyard, planted in 1919, and named after his grandfather. It is whole bunch fermented before ageing in oak foudres for 12 months, followed by an additional six months in concrete. This elegant single-vineyard wine has a clearly defined, translucent style with a distinctive sense of place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e‘Camino de los Arrieros’ is a field blend of local varieties (including Rufete, Bastardo (Trousseau), Trincadeira, Garnacha and Mencía) sourced from old vines planted on volcanic soils 750 metres above sea level in Villadepera in Arribes del Duero. Straddling Zamora’s border, the biodiversity here is so significant that the village is protected by UNESCO. The blend is whole-bunch fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for six to eight months in 228-litre oak barrels before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eÁlvar's single-vineyard white wine, ‘Vagüera’, is made solely from Doña Blanca grown in the village of El Maderal. The vineyard, originally planted in the 1920s, is surrounded by a sprawling cork forest which helps shield the vines from the sun. Previously abandoned in 2003, the vineyard fell into disrepair before Álvar recognised its potential and spent two years restoring it. At 950 metres above sea level, the site is one of the highest vineyards in the area. The Doña Blanca is fermented in oak barrels ranging in size from 225 to 900 litres with indigenous yeasts before ageing for a minimum of 12 months. Fresh and saline, this is an excellent example of the potential to be found in some of Spain’s lesser-known indigenous varieties.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe grapes were sourced from Álvar's oldest single vineyard in El Pego, the same village where Álvar's winery is located. At 800 metres above sea level, the vineyards of El Pego are some of the highest in the region. Planted in 1919, the ungrafted vines thrive on sandy soils, producing very high quality grapes.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiPaper-root MuiAccordion-root accordion_accordion__I9cut Mui-expanded MuiAccordion-rounded MuiPaper-elevation1 MuiPaper-rounded\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-root MuiCollapse-entered\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapper\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapperInner\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv role=\"region\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiAccordionDetails-root\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eThe 2020 vintage began with a very wet autumn, which was followed by a cold and snowy winter. Spring arrived with more rainfall and uncharacteristically warm temperatures. The summer was very mild and there were numerous storms, which reduced the yields. Despite the challenges faced in the vineyards, the quality of the grapes was excellent, with a fine balance between acidity and texture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOnce harvested and transported to the winery, the grapes remained in whole bunches for fermentation. The wine was then aged for 12 months in large oak foudres, followed by a further 6 months in concrete before bottling without fining or filtration.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003eNamed after Álvar's grandfather, this wine is bright ruby in colour, and the nose is full of wild blackberries and herbaceous notes, complemented by delicate floral aromas. On the palate, the flavours of wild berries are plentiful and the resulting wine is very well balanced, with great structure and silky tannins.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Wine Tasting Adventure","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56227924345210,"sku":null,"price":21.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0527\/4297\/9770\/files\/AlvardeDiosAcianoELPegoFinal_NO_VINTAGE__250x500_3957b265-b072-4b9f-a5b6-024b35201c6f.jpg?v=1763999574","url":"https:\/\/www.wine-ta.co.uk\/products\/2020-alvar-de-dios-aciano-castilla-y-leon-tinta-de-toro-liberty","provider":"Wine Tasting Adventure","version":"1.0","type":"link"}