The History of Esencia

White, Naturally Sweet Variety: 100% Muscat Alexandria Vinification: Aged 24 months in oak barrel Alcohol: 4% Temperature: 6ºC Very complex. Intense color, marmalade. On the nose, captivating with its aromas of marmalade and caramelized tropical fruits. Great depth and concentration and a long and pure finish. Esencia is a unique wine that incorporates the raisined [...]

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 [...]

La Axarquía es Moscatel

This is the cover of Excelente: Revista de Turismo, Gastronómico y Enológico – N0 30, which features an excellent article called La Axarquía es Moscatel on pages 21-33. “There’s no need to look hard to realise that the region of Axarquia is now considered to be the embryo of the best muscat in Spain, although other localities [...]

Cambridge University Wine Society

This Wednesday I’ll be in Cambridge with Master of Wine Pancho Campo presenting a selection of my sweet wines for the University of Cambridge Wine Society. Sweet Wines from Bodegas Ordoñez November 3, 2010 Peterhouse College, Upper Hall

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 [...]

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 [...]

La Vendimia 2010

The vendimia (grape harvest) is now well underway. We first start picking the grapes for Botani before the sugar content gets too high. Above you can see some images from the vineyards. The grapes are picked on the steep slopes of the mountain and carried up to footpaths where they are loaded onto our mule [...]

Spain has Conquered the World

George Miliotes, Master Sommelier for The Capital Grille (and one of fewer than 200 Master Sommeliers in the world), has chosen an excellent selection of wines from Australia, Europe and California for their latest Master Wine Tasting Event, which runs through September 5th, pairing wine and food while knowledgeable servers guide you through the tasting. [...]

Muscat Kit Kats

This is definitely a food pairing I never would have thought of for my beloved muscat grapes. But Nestlé Japan seems to enjoy coming up with different and quite unusual flavour combinations for their candy bars, including wasabi, soya sauce and green tea. And apparently also Muscat of Alexandria flavoured Kit Kats. According to The Chocolate [...]

Muscat Grapes

Muscat is a family of grapes of the species vitis vinifera, the common grape vine. They are grown all over the world, and there are a great number of varieties, ranging from white to almost black in colour. As well as wine, they are often used as table grapes or for raisins. The variety we [...]