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An autumnal view of the vineyards at the Pasiego winery
SPAIN
– GRAPES –
José Luis Salón, one of the brothers who owns the winery
and its technical director, said that unlike other grape
varieties currently grown locally, Bobal “is the variety
that has always been grown here. As it is native to this
area, it is perfectly suited to our climate.”
Concurring with opinions expressed by the previous
two wineries, Salón believes Bobal “is a variety with
great potential, as we have seen in recent years through
the development of different wines in the region – rosé,
young and mature wines (garnering high ratings in guides,
awards, etc.). Perhaps it needs greater international
exposure, since it is not as well-known elsewhere.”
Like the majority of grape varieties, Bobal is being
affected by climate change with “harvests occurring
earlier, ultimately shortening the growing cycle. For the
quality of the grape, slow ripening is vital. Therefore, in
the higher and cooler areas in our region, climate change
has so far been favourable for us. Years ago, we were at
the outer limit of vine growing, producing grapes with a
low level of ripeness.”
AUTUMN 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE 73