Spain’s reputation as a serious player in the fine wine world is no longer dependent on a few historical examples, such as Sherry (Jerez) or Rioja, nor on imitations of important French wines via widespread planting of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. In the 21st century, the real dynamism in Spanish wine comes from small growers and artisans rediscovering the extraordinary wealth of old, indigenous vines. More often than not, this is happening in fringe areas, on the margins where the vine needs to work that bit harder and often in vineyards that had been abandoned.
The region of El Bierzo is found on the western edge of the province of Léon, three to four hours drive north-west of Madrid. It is ringed by mountains on all sides from which streams descend feeding into the River Sil (Xil). Its historic cultural, ethnic and linguistic links are with Asturias to the north and Galicia to the west. The arrival of the Romans saw the region established as one of the most important mining areas of the Western Roman Empire, with the UNESCO world heritage site of Las Médulas (see photo) the most obvious reminder.
As elsewhere, the Romans also brought vines and the knowledge of viticulture with them. The key varieties today are, however, either indigenous to this area of Spain- Mencía, Godello, Doña Blanca- or found elsewhere in Spain and Portugal, such as Palomino, Malvasia, Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet) and Merenzão.
In 711 AD, the Moors arrived in Spain where they would remain until the completion of the Reconquista in 1492 under the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. The Christian enclave of the Kingdom of Asturias, including the Basque Country, protected by the mountains, had remained elusive to the Moors. During the reign of Alfonso II, the Asturians liberated the lands of Galicia and the Basques and Alfonso was officially recognised by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne. It is also at this time that the holy bones of St James were declared to be found in Compostela, attracting pilgrims from across the Catholic world via a route that we now know as the Camino. This route goes right through El Bierzo and as elsewhere on the Camino, the establishment of fortresses, castles and abbeys protected the pilgrims and, particularly under the Cistercians in the 12th century, ensured a prominent and ongoing role for viticulture.
The fragmented nature of small holding in Bierzo points towards a history of wines being made for local and familial consumption. This is not a land of grand estates and any trade was largely provincial, within the North and North-West of Spain. The arrival of phylloxera, therefore, was devastating for the region, forcing many to abandon their vineyards and emigrate entirely. With the 20th century bringing industrialisation, dictatorship and the establishment of the cooperative movement, Bierzo’s tradition for small-holding artisans had almost entirely disappeared. The region’s wines had become regarded as uninteresting and rustic, commanding low prices that offered no prospect of a return and that only incentivised high yields.
Step forward Álvaro Palacios. Son of an important Rioja dynasty, Álvaro had been largely responsible for the re-emergence of the region of Priorat in the 1980s and in the late 1990s, he found similarity in the slate and quartzite soils on the steep slopes of the hills of El Bierzo. With his nephew, Ricardo Pérez Palacios, he began a project that would breathe life back into the region, attract investment and encourage local growers to focus on quality, rather than quantity. As the wines began to gain attention outside of the region, the word quickly spread of Bierzo’s rebirth. Crucially, Palacios’ adherence to organic and biodynamic principles put sustainability and respect for nature at the heart of the movement from the start. Combined with the incredibly high concentration of old vines – more than 80% of the vines in an appellation of some 3000 ha are over 60 years of age (with many much older than that)- there was from the outset a focus on terroir and viticulture, rather than fancy tricks in the cellar.
The climate in Bierzo is essentially continental although the further west that one travels, towards the mountains that separate it from Galicia, it becomes noticeably greener. There are also considerable variances across the region in altitude and soil composition, ensuring plenty of scope for diversity and single site expression. The key red grape variety, Mencía seems particularly able to convey these differences when handled with respect and intelligence. However, this is not a solo player as with Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo. Pointing to the small-holding heritage, it is most commonly found co-planted with both red and white varieties and Bierzo wines need only be 70% Mencia to comply with regulations.
Even today, there are over 2000 growers in the region but with fewer than 100 of them also producing wines. Bringing order to this changing environment is no simple task but there has been an important step forward to support a system that is linked to the land rather than the cellar. In 2016, a petition signed by an important group of wine professionals led to the Bierzo Regulatory Board approving a classification by region, village and vineyard, as opposed to length of time in barrel. At the same time, a structure was approved that will enable growers to identify and propose the top sites for consideration as vinos de viña clasificada (crus) or gran vinos de viña clasificada (grand crus). This will only push more growers to fulfill the potential of their land in a qualitative direction.
With its top wines now regularly receiving top scores from major international critics and garnering attention from serious collectors, there is no doubt that Bierzo’s rise has been rapid. In turn, other regions, both in the Atlantic North-West but also elsewhere in Spain that share similar characteristics, such as the Gredos mountains, have been inspired. It has even started to shake up thinking in strongholds of tradition such as Rioja. Spain’s wine scene has never been more exciting than it is today.
