La Mancha is the land of Don Quixote. A large dry and hot plain south of Madrid. The winemakers do not have to fight against mills. La Mancha has excellent conditions for making decent wine. That keeps prices down. In the past, mainly bulk wine was made. That is only partly true. In La Mancha, talented, innovative young winemakers are happily experimenting.
It is the land of Don Quixote. La Mancha is a large dry and hot plain south of Madrid. The winemakers do not have to fight against mills. La Mancha has excellent conditions for making decent wine. That keeps prices down.
The Airén is widely planted there. With its thick skin and large leaves, it knows how to protect itself well against the hot sun. Thanks to La Macha, the Airén is even the most widely planted grape in the world. Unfortunately, the Airén produces rather unimaginative, flat white wines. That is why it regularly ends up in the (cheaper) Sherries.
Most red wine is made from the Cencibel, the local clone of the Tempranillo. Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha, Merlot and the otherwise relatively unknown Moravia are also widely used.
There are four more classified regions in La Macha: La Macha, Méntrida, Mondejar and Almansa, but Valdepeñas is the best known. Red wines were already being made here in the 12th century. In the 19th century, trains ran back and forth to Madrid to supply the capital with wine. Valdepeñas was even very popular in South America at that time.
Since the 1970s, the winemakers from Valdepeñas have been on the right track again: towards high quality. The red wood-matured Crianza', Reservas and Gran Reservas in particular can charm the hearts of enthusiasts. They are robust and spicy and are usually made from Cencibel or Cabernet Sauvignon.
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