For this special edition season we are teaming up with an organisation that is successfully showcasing how different terroir and wines can be throughout Spain; Grandes Pagos de Espana. In 6 episodes we will talk about the diversity of Spain, it’s history, present and future and we will guide you through 5 prominent and promising wine regions.
Each region will be represented by one of the local stars, and members of Grandes Pagos de Espana. In this fourth episode Bibi Garcia from Cortijo Los Aguilares is our guest. Cortijo Los Aguilares is a member of the association and an acclaimed winery from the South of Spain, in Andalusia, located in the DO Sierras de Malaga. We will learn what Grandes Pagos de Espana means for Bibi and what the characteristics are for the region, vineyards, grapes and wines.
About Cortijo Los Aguilares
Cortijo Los Aguilares is an 800-hectare estate with 25 hectares of vineyards. Nested between the two natural parks of the Sierra de las Nieves and of Grazalema, at more than 900 meters above the sea level, the estate enjoys a unique microclimate. The plentiful spring rains, together with the important thermal amplitude between day and night allow the grape to preserve their acidity with a slow ripening. This singular environment gives the chance to grow a wide range of grape varieties: Tempranillo, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Pinot Noir.
The soil, largely clay and limestone in composition, retains the humidity of the precipitation and helps the plants to withstand the warm summers. The aim is to preserve the environment at the fullest, which is why thevineyards are certified as organic. Almost all work in the vineyards is done manually and there is a strict yield control through green pruning and crop thinning, in order to get from the grapes the best expression possible.
The respect of the terroir and the alliance of the tradition with the most advanced technology lie at the heart of the estates philosophy. The wine is transferred by gravity to minimize the pumping and the fermentation takes place at low temperatures in order to extract all the aromatic potencial from each grape variety.
The wine is exclusively aged in fine grain French oak barrels, that are only used for 4 or 5 years. They are placed in a subterranean cellar, located under an artificial pond. This allows the temperature and the humidity to remain practically unaltered throughout the year.
From the vineyards to the winemaking, the products are crafted with the utmost care and rigor at every stage of elaboration. Cortijo Los Aguilares has become one of the most recognized wineries of the Serranía de Ronda, D.O. Sierras de Málaga, and is much talked about at the main international markets for the quality and the uniqueness of its wines.
About Bibi Garcia
Our guest Bibi Garcia is the manager and winemaker at Cortijo Los Aguilares. She studied chemistry at Seville University, after which she proceeded studying viticulture and oenology at the school for agronomical engineering in Madrid, followed by a two-year study as a winemaker at Cadiz University. She has worked in Rioja Alavesa, Chile (2 years), Priorat (4 years) and joint Cortijo Los Aguilares 14 years ago, in 2007. Since then she manages the estate.
Her husband is from Chile, where they met many years ago working together. He works in a winery close by, in Ronda, so there is always wine around in their life. Besides their two children of course!
About the Tasting
During the show we will taste the 2018 Tadeo . This wine is made from 100% Petit Verdot, one of the two best known grape varieties at the estate. The vines that produce the grapes for this wine grow in the estates Pago El Calero at an altitude of 900 meters above sea level, on a clay and calcareous soil. It is a wine that has aged for 14 months in French oak barrels.
We are looking forward to talking to Bibi and learn more about Grandes Pagos de Espana, Cortijo Los Aguilares and Spain’s great Southern region including the D.O. Sierras de Malaga. Be sure to tune in on Instagram Live through our Dutch Wine Apprentice account on Friday the 10th of December, 19:30h CET.
All shows are recorded and can also be watched on our IGTV channel (also accessible through our instagram profile). If you did not have a chance to tune in for our previous seasons you can watch the recordings through this link. We are also converting all previous episodes into Podcasts, more information and links to that can be found here.
Click here for instructions on how to follow a live show on Instagram Live. If you have questions for our guest you are welcome to prepare them and e-mail them to us or send them as a direct message on our Instagram account.
You can find a link to the recording of the show here.
