A lone scrub oak stands among of sea of vines near Haro, La Rioja. Just below this vineyard, where the vines curve down the hillside, runs the Oja River–in Spanish, Rio Oja–which gives the region, and the wine, its name. Photo ©Mike Randolph
Tag Archives | wine
Sweet Medicine with a Kick
Malaga wines are sweet, fortified dessert wines. In the old days, some of them also contained quinine. Jesuit missionaries brought the bark of the so-called fever tree to Spain in the 16th Century and it was used to treat a variety of illnesses for centuries. Medicinal wines with quinine were still widely consumed in Spain until the 1970’s. This barrel is from my favorite bar in Malaga, the Casa Guardia. I’ve been visiting it off and on for 20 years, and it hasn’t changed much either. As for whether quinine wines are still being drunk in Spain, I can’t say. Does anybody know? Photo ©Mike Randolph
Rioja’s red vines
Autumn in La Rioja and the cool temperatures turn vine leaves the color of a young red wine. Some of these vineyards belong to the famous Bodegas Muga. Mostly, they are the Tempranillo varietal, which researchers have concluded Continue Reading →
Eallyray Oldway Ineway
Little-known Cariñena, in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, has been producing wine since Roman times, making it one of Spain’s oldest wine-growing regions. It’s common in Cariñena to see vines grown as individual plants. Photo ©Mike Randolph