Decanter Regional Trophy 2011

No. 3 Viñas Viejas 2006 Bodegas Jorge Ordóñez DO Málaga Decanter Regional Trophy for “Sweet Spain over £10“ The bodega buys in grapes from local growers but also has some of its own vineyards in Almáchar, about 15 km from the winery, on a slope too steep for any kind of mechanisation, which is farmed [...]

Foster & Dobbs

Last Sunday I was visited by cheese connoisseurs Luan Schooler and Tim Wilson of Foster & Dobbs Authentic Foods in Portland, Oregon. They were particularly interested in our wines because of how well they pair with different cheeses. First we had a special tasting of Botani, Selección Especial and Victoria 2010 from the tanks at the bodega. Botani [...]

Sombras Nada Más

Further to the celebration of the 75th anniversary of Vélez-Málaga artist Eugenio Chicano, I’d like to share this anecdote with you that shows both his wit and generosity. The first bottles of Málaga Conarte were about to hit the market for Christmas 2008, but there was a problem – the boxes didn’t arrive on time! [...]

Eugenio Chicano

Last week I attended the opening of the Visitación al Bodegón Clásico exhibit celebrating the 75th anniversary of Vélez-Málaga artist Eugenio Chicano.  Born in Málaga on Christmas Eve in 1935, Eugenio Chicano is a painter and engraver with a very direct and simple style, characterised by the use of large patches of flat colour and [...]

The E-Team

Gerhard Kracher, Alistair Gardner, Victoria Ordoñez, Jorge Ordoñez It’s hard to believe that a month has already passed since we had this photo taken. It was December 17th and all the members of our creative E-team (equipo enológico) met at the bodega for the all-important coupage, or blending, of Botani. We sampled each barrel one [...]

La Vendimia 2010 (part 2)

Believe it or not we started harvesting mid-August and we haven’t finished yet. It’s the same every year – this really has to be the longest vendimia in Spain. While everyone else is on holiday in August we begin with Botani (early harvest) and finish with Selection Especial (last harvest) mid-October. My friend Alistair Gardener [...]

The Soil in Almachar

I’ve talked here before about the poor rocky soil here in the Axarquía, which is mostly slate intermingled with limestone clay, but people are always surprised when they see it – and touch it – for themselves. This is my Danish wine distributor, Jannich Peterson, taking a first hand look at the soil conditions and [...]

La Fiesta del Ajoblanco, Almáchar

On the first Saturday of every September the village of Almáchar, Málaga, celebrates the Fiesta del Ajoblanco, which features the typical products of the area: muscat grapes, wine and raisins. Visitors can sample ajoblanco, a cold garlic and almond soup that has been prepared in this region for hundreds of years, as well as other [...]