Travel

A tour of Spanish wine country

Last winter, our friends Vince and Marja Beltrami hosted a party featuring different wines from around the world. Local wine guru Mike McVittie (from Anchorage Wine House, located at 8841 Jewel Lake Rd.) helped Marja pick out a good selection, including a bottle from the Rioja wine region of Spain.

The wine, a classic "Crianza" from the Beronia winery, features a good mix of Tempranillo, Granacha and Mazuelo grapes. But the the big surprise for me was the price tag: just $12. All of a sudden, planning for our proposed trip to Spain started to take place: I wanted to visit the region where they made this tasty wine.

McVittie helped arrange a meeting with Felipe Gonzalez-Gordon, a member of the family that owns the winery. He was in Anchorage for a wine-tasting event at Crush Bistro downtown on 6th Ave.

Gonzalez-Gordon's family business, Gonzalez Byass, owns several wineries throughout the country, so we set to work developing an itinerary to stop in several of the regions to taste some new wine and see some new country!

Since we started our journey in Barcelona, we took two day trips to the Penedes wine region. This area is well-known for its production of Cava, similar to champagne. I visited the winery at Vilarnau, about 40 minutes from Barcelona. Theirs is a large facility -- where they produce several varieties of Cava, including the tasty "Brut Nature". You also can taste this wine in Barcelona's "Born District" at La Vinya del Senyor in the Placa Santa Maria.

On our way west from Barcelona, we discovered a new wine district in Somotano. Our first stop in Barbastro (about three hours' drive from Barcelona) was at Vinas del Vero winery. Set in the foothills of the Pyrenees, this wine region boasts a large variety of different microclimates, which accommodates different grapes. Signature vintages -- such as the white "Clarion" variety --recently were selected for a royal wedding in Spain! I'm partial to the "vino tinto" or red wines, including the Garnacha and Cabernet Sauvignon varietals from the area. Bernardo Hualde, international sales director of Vinas del Vero, took us on a road trip into the hills above the winery. About 30 minutes away, some of the oldest vines of the Secastilla winery really cling to the edges of the steep hills. Yet these smallish vines produce some of the most flavorful wines, for which the region is famous.

Although we spent the night in Pamplona, our final western destination was Bilbao, home of the Guggenheim Museum.

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Returning to Barcelona, we finally visited the Beronia winery, home of our initial inspiration for the trek through Spanish wine country. Nestled in the gentle hills near the wine capital of Haro, the facility produces several varieties of red wines using predominantly Tempranillo grapes. The good news is that the signature Crianza, as well as the Reserva and Gran Reserva, all are available in Anchorage. We opted to stay at a small, eight room inn located nearby in San Asencio: La Capellania. The hosts, Clara and Mercedes, offer comfy accommodations, a sumptuous Spanish breakfast and lots of information on local restaurants and attractions. Clara recommends a visit to the local wine museum in Haro. "You should budget at least two hours for a visit," she said. There also is a collection of local vintners in Haro that are open for tastings. Check locally for schedules of English-speaking tours.

This slim section along Spain's northern frontier from Barcelona to Bilbao appeals to wine lovers, art lovers and history lovers. We'll be back. Until then we'll enjoy some fine Spanish wines, which go well with fresh King Salmon, by the way!

To see more photos of our Travel Guru's trip to Spain, visit the Alaska Travelgram Facebook page, here.

Scott McMurren is an Anchorage-based travel marketing consultant who has lived in Alaska for three decades, spending much of that time traveling the far-flung corners of the state. Visit his website at www.alaskatravelgram.com.

Scott McMurren

Scott McMurren is an Anchorage-based marketing consultant, serving clients in the transportation, hospitality, media and specialty destination sectors, among others. Contact him by email at zoom907@me.com. Subscribe to his e-newsletter at alaskatravelgram.com. For more information, visit alaskatravelgram.com/about.

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