“You may have killed my Father, but prepare to… drink,” joked Ynigo Miguez Del Olmo at the Metro Center Marriott Tuesday morning. Alluding to Hollywood’s most famous Ynigo character (from The Princess Bride) as he showed his Mainetes Seleccion wine, Del Olmo was a featured
vendor on Castilla-La Mancha‘s US wine tour, dubbed Don Quixote’s Grape Trail.
It’s a region just 36 miles south of Madrid where 46 types of grapes grow (23 red, 23 white), and though most Americans have never visited… they are loving it. In the last year alone, Spanish wine imports have increased 15% in the United States, and this region is a strong seller.
From Finca Rio Negro in the region’s extreme north to Del Olmo’s own at the edge of the denominacion, vineyards from across the Castilla-La Mancha region offered their prize pours to industry afficionados at a seminar to taste — and teach — on Tuesday.
Washingtonians can now find fresh* Spanish sips like the organic Finca Fabian Tempranillo or brand new bottles of Arrayan Syrah, Petit Verdot or Grenache at popular restaurants like Del Campo or on the Hill at Dcanter wine boutique.
*Did you know…? The growers from the Castilla-La Mancha region suggest not holding their Spanish wines to mature. Enjoy your bottle when you buy it!
