Few things are as characteristic of our region as its vineyards and bodegas. The first things that greets visitors are huge advertising hoardings proudly proclaiming Alicante to be the world’s oldest wine “denomination”; yet a far more interesting story of new winemaking and world leading viniculture is also happening in our historic wine producing landscape. We spent a day at one of the bodegas creating this renaissance in Spanish wine.
Case Balaguer is located in the historic wine country in the Alto Vinalopó valley, in the village of Canyada near Villena. This district is the most important grape growing area of our province and its grapes find their way into some of the most famous brands of wine including Mendoza and Bocopa amongst others. Our visit however was to a small independent vineyard run by a young couple who have committed themselves to combining the most modern methods of production with returning to cultivation of the traditional local grape varieties that trace their heritage back hundreds of years in our region.
The estate claims to have a continuous wine growing history dating back to at least the 18th century. Today, the estate adheres to strict organic and biodynamic estate management avoiding the use of chemicals and other practices that are normal in large scale wine production.
Our visit was as part of one of the guided tours and wine tasting visits that the estate organises. We visited the vineyards and cellars with the entire wine making process explained by the young enthusiastic couple who own and run the estate. This tour was then complimented by a wine tasting held in the beautiful bodega house. We tried a number of different vintages, red, white and blush, accompanied by tapas including olive oil also produced on the estate.
We have visited other bodegas including the famous Enrique Mendoza winery. What was especially enjoyable about our day at Casa Balaguer was learning about how new practices are changing the way wine is produced in Spain and especially in our area. The decision to commit to re- adopting the traditional grape varieties from our region is brave in a world where commercial pressures tend towards uniformity and continued use of famous, usually French, grape varieties. The rich historic variety of different grapes and wines produced in Europe has gradually been denuded over the last 100 years by the dominance of French grape types and tastes which became the global standard. The determination to return to growing local Spanish varieties of grape is an important step in restoring the variety and texture of European wine that had been at risk of being lost.
The results of adopting local historic grapes were readily apparent at the tasting; the excellent wines we tasted all had a complexity that one sometimes finds lacking in the products of bulk wine producers. The white wines in particular were a revelation, with tastes and fragrances that were fresh and exciting – well beyond the normal experience that one has grown to expect of white wines. The reds were also wonderful and are a particular passion of the winemakers who are keen to create a new way to enjoy the local tempranillo grape variety.
The winery also has another important aim; to restore the condition of the land. Like so much agricultural land in both Spain and other countries, the estate had suffered from modern farming practices that had degraded the land and the biodiversity of the estate. By adopting a strict organic and biodynamic programme the estate is successfully restoring the soil health of the very land it occupies. What the last 80 years has taken out of the land is now being gradually put back and generations to come will benefit.
Our visit also included an opportunity to meet the geese who are the symbol of the estate and business, even featuring on some of the bottle labels; these handsome creatures poked their heads over the wall to inspect us as we assembled to start our tour. The Romans famously used geese as guards to warn of danger; now their descendants stand guard over Casa Balaguer and its brave adventure to restore both our region´s wine traditions and the health of the land itself!
We are sure that you would enjoy a visit to this special local business run by a young and charming inspirational couple.
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