Trip Report October 2024
And now what actually happened:
This year’s Autumn Wine Trip took us to the neighbouring DO’s of Jumilla and Yecla in the Region of Murcia, famous for their fruity and full bodied Monastrell wines.
Our first visit on this trip was to Almazara Deortega, a family run olive oil mill producing ecological oils from different varieties of olives grown on their estate. We were welcomed by the enthusiastic staff who talked us through their organic approach to olive oil production. They use the cold press method following harvesting of the olives grown around the estate.
We were then guided through a tasting of the oils with local bread to compare the characteristics of the different varieties as well as the blends. The most interesting blend was Umbra, infused with mushroom and herbs, making it ideal as a starter. Their small shop included some interesting items to buy for gifts as well as personal use.
The oils we tasted were: Arbequina, Picual, Hojiblanca, Coupage and Umbra.
We then travelled the short distance to Bodegas Castaño, DO Yecla, an old friend of the Costa Blanca Wine Society, but as yet undiscovered by some of our newer members.
Here, our host, Raquel, showed us around their facilities. The bodega is quite a large commercial production system, with automated processes for bottling and labelling. One of the highlights of this visit was watching a lorry unload its cargo of freshly picked grapes into an underground vat. Raquel then guided us past the specialist wine vats, including a sealed kosher one, into a tasting room. We were offered 5 varied wines accompanied by delicious light tapas.
These were: Castaño Macabeo/Chardonnay 2023, Castaño Rosado Monastrell 2023,
Vertis Monastrell 2023, Hécula, barrel aged, Monastrell 2022 and Castaño Colección Monastrell/Cabernet Sauvignon 2018.
A further short journey took us to our centrally located hotel in Yecla, Hotel Avenida. This simple hotel offered comfortable rooms and a pleasant dining room and bar and a warm welcome from the owner. Some people enjoyed the free afternoon by exploring the attractive working town of Yecla, whilst others took the opportunity for a nap!
The evening began with a welcoming aperitivo in the Hotel, followed by an extensive series of platos of local specialities, which just seemed to keep coming. It was a good chance to share reflections on the day with fellow ‘bebedores’, before falling gratefully into bed!
Day 2 commenced with breakfast in the hotel. The local street market was in full swing with stalls set up in the pedestrianised streets right outside the hotel.
Then it was back on the bus. We headed off towards the town of Jumilla where Bodegas Delampa is based.
Founded in 1921, three generations of this family have been producing Monastrell wines for over 100 years. In their words, they are “the best wines in Jumilla”. They proudly displayed awards received in national and international competitions.
We were greeted by Lucia, the great granddaughter of the original founder of the vineda. The name of the bodega derives from del ampa meaning “of the mafia”. The founder insisted on getting the best grapes for his wine production.
The output of this bodega is much smaller, with many processes done by hand, but there was an interesting range of white and red to taste.
There were 3 whites using different grapes to produce flavours of variety and depth.
Exodo Azul, Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Mr Jenares Verdejo 2023, Mr. Jenares Chardonnay 2023.
The reds were all Monastrell based: Exodo Roble Monastrell 2021. Delampa 50 Años Monastrell 2020, Delampa Centenario Monastrell 2021. The latter two are their signature wines.
As well as their wines, the well-stocked shop was full of local delicacies including cheese, olives and honey.
Our final visit was to Bodegas Luzón, again in DO Jumilla. It is another bodega with a rich history.
Luzon was named after an island in the Philippines where the founder Don Jose Molina was stationed in the army in 1814. He returned to his native Jumilla and founded the winery which has been a pioneer in many aspects: one of these being that the winery has been run by the women of the family until almost the end of the 20th century.
We were welcomed to their modern facilities by Patricia. She gave us a fascinating account of their production methods, pointing to the impact of climate change. This year the grape harvest has been 2 million tons, a third lower than previous years. The cellars were particularly interesting with a ‘library’ of their most famous marques, kept for quality consistency purposes.
The modern airy tasting room gave us a chance to taste several whites and reds accompanied by a tasty paella lunch.
The wines tasted were: Colección Blanco Macabeo/Sauvignon Blanco 2023, Origen Syrah 2022, Altos de Luzon 2021 Monastrell, Por ti 2019/2020 Monastrell/Cabernet Sauvignon,
Luzon semi dulce 2023.
Our coach driver Ricardo, as always, waited patiently whilst we made our final purchases. He stacked the coach’s boot impressively given the number of boxes, then drove us safely back to Jávea with the precious load of wine and its new owners.
It was a short trip but jam packed with interesting places, new experiences and convivial company. Thanks to the tour team for their efforts in making it a memorable time.
Reporters: Caroline Swain and Richard Harris
Photos: Various members