Something for the weekend
Spanish wine is fast gaining in popularity world wide. Let's take a visit to a local bodega and see what it's like at source. This weekend we bridged the festive gap between Christmas and New Year celebrations, by enjoying a lunch out and taking in a bodega visit at the same time.
The hills are alive...
With vines! All across the Contraviesa, the hills that form the feet of the Alpujarras region of Granada, you will discover surrounding land dotted with rows and rows of vines. This time of year, devoid of their fruit, they resemble cloves studded around a Christmas orange, as the rows line the sweeping and undulating countryside. Winter views are superb, the patchwork of hills changing shape as the shadows of the sparse clouds trip and tumble across the very blue, clear sky.
Locals who lunch
Yesterday we were invited for a festive lunch, and our local bodega was decided on as the best spot for good food and the added advantage of some delicious local wine to pair with it. Cuatro Vientos is situated on the Murtas road, in a spendid location with views all around, to the south and the sea and also to the stunning Sierra Nevada mountain range, covered in snow and sunshine. You can easily walk the 4 kms to the bodega from the village of Murtas, a good idea if you plan on some wine tasting! The motto at the bodega is " Donde nace el vino" or "Where wine is born." That's a good clue to the treats inside.
Food for thought
There's a smaller eatery and shop at the bottom gate by the roadside, and a larger restaurant further up the drive. They have an extensive A la Carte menu, and also a cheaper Menu del Dia for during the week. and it's advisable to book for the top restaurant at the weekends. Speak to the friendly and efficient Isa at the venta by the gate, or by telephoning 958 956 958 . We ate fashionably late, a sobre mesa style lingering lunch of the house speciality - carne a la brasa - meat cooked over the grill, which is fired with almond wood. Garlic soup and plates piled with salad, and a platter of cheese from the cheese-makers a couple of metres down the road added to the local food experience. We chose a couple of bottles of Malafollá Crianza to drink. The food and wine tasted great, and a lazy afternoon was almost complete.
A trip downstairs
One of the lunch guests was on holiday from Ireland, and was keen to visit the bodega downstairs, underneath the restaurant - a tour with which we're always happy to oblige!
The owner was around, so we asked him to open up for us. Smiling, he opened up the main door and told us to help ourselves - I guess it wouldn't happen everywhere!
Deep underground
The cellars of Cuatro Vientos are far from damp and dingy, it takes about an hour to explore them fully, from the lines of stacked American oak barels, leading to the individual rooms of stored bottles, each with a table and chairs. The ideal place to relax and taste the perfectly stored wine belonging to local families and businesses - I have yet to make friends with any despite having studied the names carefully! There's also an interactive tour, with a light show and video - and of course the all important opportunity to taste the goods.
The wine
Wine produced here is all done at altitude - almost 1150 metres above sea level. The grapes are soaked in spring and summer sunshine, and are naturally sweet - no sugar added.
They all carry the label DO of Granada and there were a couple of winning wines this year in the prestigious national wine awards in Cordoba.
Choose from several award winning reds, crisp white, rosé, and even a lively cava. The full selection can be bought in local shops, directly from the bodega, or online.
Their latest offering is the one we enjoyed yesterday - Malafollá. You'll easily spot it by the grumpy old man from Granada on the label! But that's the only grumpy one you will be likely to meet here in Murtas - guaranteed!
Contact details and map:
Carretera de Murtas Km 7
Murtas 18490
La Contraviesa - Alpujarra
Granada,
Tel: 958 956 958 - 650 616 206