NEWS ADVERTORIAL
NEWS ADVERTORIAL Discovering distinctive personality Castilla y León’s wonderful wines reveal their complexity and uniqueness at Vinexpo Leon vineyards A selection of wineries from Castilla y León are present at Vinexpo Bordeaux 2019, giving visitors the opportunity to discover the reasons why their products are among the finest and most appreciated in the world. The red wines produced in the Ribera del Duero have forged their own unique personality; yet this is something that did not come about by chance. The Tempranillo grape variety, the soil and the climate, combined with skilled winemaking knowhow, have positioned these wines produced on the banks of the River Douro amongst the finest and most appreciated in the world. In addition, the Rueda Designation of Origin is considered one of the best white wine making areas in Spain and the world, although it also produces red and rosé wines. Rueda is associated with its own unique white grape variety, Verdejo. In recent years, Toro has become another major driving force for the mid-Douro reds, produced from its own unique variety: Tinta de Toro. The Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León quality seal can include all the vineyards located in the Autonomous Community, extending to both those that already hold some type of official quality seal and those that do not. In all, Castilla y León has 75,000 hectares dedicated to wine production (6% of the national total). It ranks fourth in terms of grape production in Spain and is home to more than 500 wineries that are flourishing thanks to the dedication and enthusiasm of 18,500 producers of fine wines. CASTILLA Y LEÓN HAS 75,000 HECTARES DEDICATED TO WINE PRODUCTION The autonomous community boasts no fewer than 14 Designations of Origin, including 4 quality wine areas (Protected Designations of Origin). There is also a specific quality seal for the entire territory: the Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). To taste some of the wines mentioned above, as well as some spirits (gin and liquors), visit the Castilla y Léon stand Hall 1 / Stand E102 8 VINEXPO DAILY / PREVIEW / THURSDAY 9 TH MAY 2019
NEWS ADVERTORIAL OUR PASSION IS TO GIVE PEOPLE SOMETHING NEW TO DISCOVER. Damiens Sartori Oenologist, Lionel Osmin & Co with Lionel Osmin Founder, Lionel Osmin & Co Taking southwest France to the world Exclusive interview with Lionel Osmin, founder of Lionel Osmin and Co. Lionel Osmin & Co is a specialist producer and distributor from the south west of France. We talk to its founder, Lionel Osmin, about what difference he wants to make, but we began by asking how he started out in the field. The story began at the foot of the Pyrenees, as I was born in a village next to Pau, in the Jurançon appellation. My father was a wine lover who first introduced me to this “universe”. After doing internships at producers in France and Spain I had the taste and wanted to work in this field. Why did you start Lionel Osmin & Co? We wanted to make people more aware of the true value of France’s southwestern wines. The region is not traditionally well known to wine drinkers around the world and we wanted to showcase what the region can do and help promote the excellent wines it is producing. We also wanted to demonstrate the support and pride our local producers have in working with local grape varieties that stretch back to the 1960’s. We have an incredible diversity of grape varieties in southwest France, but what we don’t have is a long history, or reputation for producing them, unlike Bordeaux. We can only pinpoint specific quality improvements since the 1980’s, so there is still a lot to do for this work to be recognised. But we see every day that markets are more and more searching for original wines. These producers have dedicated their professional lives to these indigenous grape varieties in order to make wines that are more than just interesting. These wines retain a great deal of vinexpodaily.com character and identity. These local winegrowers are close to my own roots, which is why I wanted to do what I could to help them. How have you done that? I first launched Maison de Vins de Jurançon, with all the winegrowers of the appellation. Then for 12 years, I worked as a kind of pilgrim, travelling the world promoting the qualities of these wines, explaining Tannat, and the fact Malbec originates from Cahors. In 2010, I wanted to bring my own personality to the wines, and start my own production and founded Lionel Osmin & Co with winemaker, Damiens Sartori. We did this without buying vineyards but grapes, so that we could group together a number of indigenous varietal wines under one roof, and present a more simplified offer to distributors, and importers around the world. We introduced our first wines to the market in 2011. What differentiates the grapes of the southwest to other varieties and regions? The southwest is a vast wine producing region, stretching west to east, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Massif Central, and south to north, from the Pyrenees to Bordeaux. This territory has multiple, and very different climatic, geologic and geographic features. This means we don’t have a unity of production that one might find in Burgundy or Bordeaux, where you will find the same geography and climate across most vineyards. This is why each of our appellations have such a diverse range of different grape varieties that have all adapted to the unique climate and geography… like Malbec. Whilst it has become an internationally renowned grape variety, its source and origin is Cahors in the Lot Valley. Traditionally it’s full-bodied, but we now produce two very distinct styles of this native grape, including a fresh, fruity version that no way resembles the historic, traditional, rustic style. Malbec is not only French, but comes from the southwest and is the “original French, fresh Malbec”. The Négrette is also very unique, planted only at Fronton just north of Toulouse, producing excellent rosé wines. We want to bring these amazing wines to the attention of the world’s wine lovers and not just present them with a 50th Merlot or 35th Syrah. Our passion is to give people something new to discover Hall 1 / Stand CD197 VINEXPO DAILY / PREVIEW / THURSDAY 9 TH MAY 2019 9
