Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/314991
{ SOMMjournal.com } 83 In 2008, permission was granted to produce D.O. Rueda red and rosé, although much of the red is still sold as Vino de la Tierra Castilla y Léon, partly the cause of the lingering belief that all Rueda wine must be white. About 4,000 acres or 20% of Rueda's vineyards are planted to red varieties, mostly Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon. Of the 99,828,394 kilograms of grapes harvested in 2013, Verdejo accounted for 83,397,420 kilos (about 84%), Viura had shrunk to 8,646,918, Sauvignon Blanc stood at 5,540,464 and Palomino had almost disappeared at 449,358. Tempranillo was 1,529,293 kilos, and Cabernet Sauvignon: 196,376. Wine production has grown steadily from 4.5 million bottles pro- duced in 1990 to about 63.3 million bottles in 2012, the current vintage, up from 56.9 in 2011. About 81 per cent us Rueda is consumed in Spain, where Verdejo is the most popular white variety. Although Rueda sales to the U.S. trails that of the other popular Spanish white wine—Albariño from Rías Baixas—Americans have nev- ertheless gone crazy for Rueda Verdejo, consuming 1.14 million bottles last year, trailing only the Dutch and the Germans. Most Rueda sales in the U.S. are 100% Verdejo, says Mario Muñoz, international exports director for D.O. Rueda. "However, you will find lately an increasing number of very good blends of Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc or Viura," Muñoz says, "and some barrel-fermented, 100% Verdejos are getting the recognition of both professionals and consumers." Gretchen Thomas, Wine and Spirits Director for Connecticut-based Barteca restaurants, explains the selection process of the American consumer. "More people relate to grapes than to wine regions," she says, "so we find more consumer interest in Verdejo as a variety than in the region of Rueda itself. And it's very easy to sell because anyone who likes Sauvignon Blanc will like Verdejo." The comparison is apt in more ways than one. For just as Sauvignon Blanc transported New Zealand's Marlborough region from obscurity to international attention over 20 years ago, Verdejo has similarly breathed new life into the sleeping beauty that was Rueda. Roger Morris specializes in food and travel and contributes regularly to about 20 publications. A resident of rural Pennsylvania, he travels on assignment most months to one of the world's wine regions. His latest book, written with his photographer/ painter wife, Ella, is The Brandywine Book of the Seasons. PHOTO: COPYRIGHT ICEX/JUAN MANUEL SANZ PHOTO COURTESY OF MARQUES DE RISCAL Top: Vineyards in Rueda. Above: Soils in Rueda are typically gravelly and well-drained, with lots of calcium and magnesium. Somm Journal June/July.indd 83 5/9/14 12:11 PM