Bodegas Campos Reales
The landscape of Meseta Central stretches out endlessly to include La Mancha, the land of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, and also Spain's largest wine region.
The heart of the Iberian peninsula is characterised by an extremely continental climate with scorching summers and freezing winters. Luckily, the scarce downpours are aptly retained by the calciferous loamy soil in order to enable the vines' survival. Quite often, these are very old, gnarled, and stunted in their growth. In order to shield the grapes from the torrid heat using their leaves, the vines still are often reared low to the ground in the traditional manner -- also known as bush vines or 'en vaso'.
Red wines from Bodegas Campos Reales
from Bodegas Campos Reales
Next to Tempranillo or its local nomenclature Cencibel, the Bodegas Campos Reales also cultivate since 1950 many other grape varieties: Garnacha, Tintorera, Bobal, and white varieties such as Airén (which incidentally claims the largest vine area worldwide) or Macabeo, to name a few.
This is yet another case in which tradition meets modernity. The cellar's implementation of the latest vinification infrastructure does not exclude traditional processes such as hand-picking (which also applies to simple wines), the nurturing of the vines, the preservation of indigenous grape varieties, or the ageing in barriques. Led by a young, dedicated and highly specialised team, the bodega belongs to those vineyards propagating the self-proclaimed revolution of the Mancha wines and which carries its reputation worldwide of having an amazing price/pleasure ratio.
Producer
Distillerie Tessendier & Fils
Grape growers, producers of Cognac and innovative spirits
“Time is of the essence for creating high-quality spirits” (Jérôme Tessendier)
The Tessendier & Fils Distillery, established in 1880, is a family-run business based in Cognac and Jarnac, on the banks of the Charente, which produces a diverse portfolio of high-quality Cognacs (see Cognac Park) with a modern twist. The heirs, Jérôme and Lilian Tessendier, have succeeded in modernising the family business in the face of the international dimension of the market: first by creating their own brand of Cognac, then by drawing on their ancestral savoir-faire to refine other types of spirits. This knowledge was forged over time, improved from generation to generation and is now shared by the Tessendier Distillery through three Cognac series (Park, Campagnère, Grand Breuil), each with its own unique character, its own history.
André Clouet / Jean François Clouet
We didn’t find the low house, dating from the 17th century, straight away, even though the village of Bouzy is not very large. Modest buildings are grouped around a courtyard, behind which a vineyard lies, similar to a clos.
Domaine Julien Brocard
The seven vineyards - Chablis "naturally"
Julien Brocard's domaine is located in Préhy, just a few kilometres from the town of Chablis in northern Burgundy. The aim of the domaine is to bring out the true character of the wines without any distortion, and for this purpose the vines have been cultivated biodynamically since 2011.