Valencia

Valencia is a DO for wines located in the Province of Valencia within the Valencian Autonomous Community and is divided into two separate zones and four sub-zones, each of which produces a different type of wine.ine

Grapes have been exploited since the Neolithic here, and wine was introduced by the Phonecians before even the Romans arrived.

Climate & Terroir

The region’s soils are highly variable, but generally they’re riverine sands and gravels with loam at the lower elevations, and thinner and lime-based at higher altitudes.

The coastal vineyards have a Mediterranean climate but the majority, which are further inland have a mild continental climate (long, hot dry summers and cold winters). At the upper elevations, the diurnal temperature swings can be over 50F. The region also has the perfect growing conditions for its famed Valencia oranges.

Varietals

There are many varieties allowed in Valencia and in its subzones, including:

White: Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Macabeo, Malvasía, Merseguera, Moscatel de Alejandría, Moscatel de Grano Menudo, Planta Fina de Pedralba, Planta Nova, Pedro Ximénez, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillón Blanc, Tortosí, Verdejo, Verdil, Viognier.

Moscatel is so important here that one of the subzones of Valencia is named Moscatel.

Red: Bobal, Bonicaire, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Forcallat Tinta, Garnacha, Graciano, Malbec, Mandó, Marselán, Mencía, Merlot, Monastrell, Mazuelo, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Tempranillo, Garnacha Tintorera.

The wines

At present we carry 2 wines from Enguera- an orange wine and a superb Valencian Tempranillo. Both are zippy, fresh wines that combine balance with depth of flavor in a super-drinkable format.

Orange Party Verdil: Made from the rare Verdil grape indigenous to only a small part of Valencia, this is natural wine at its best. Organic viticulture, wild yeast fermentation, unfined and unfiltered. Citrusy with notes of grass, dried citrus peel, and white tea.

Casa Lluch Tempranillo: grown on their Casa Lluch estate in Fontanars dels Alforins, this organic, vegan wine of 100% Tempranillo is bright and fruit-forward, with bright cherry fruit, notes of chocolate and coffee and has a long, juicy finish.

Bodegas Enguera

Founder D. Pedro Pérez Pardo was born in 1921. In 1974, Pedro realized the first of his drreams and bought the Antolí and El Chalet del Río estates in Enguera, where he planted citrus fruits, olive groves, fruit trees and vineyards. He also acquired the nearby Casa Lluch and Casa Corones estates, with 162 acres of vineyards, and then began to produce wine in the old Casa Corones winery, which was mostly marketed in bulk.

In 1999 he fulfilled his second dream and built a winery in Enguera, dedicated to producing high-quality bottled wines that faithfully represent the terroir of Fontanars dels Alforins.

Recognizing that healthy wines come from healthy vines, the family began organic conversion in 2002. Around that time, the Casa Toñuna farm was also acquired, a 50-acre farm with great potential in the Sierra de Enguera. In that same year, D. Juan Iglesias Jiménez, son-in-law of D. Pedro, and his wife, María Cruz Pérez Herrero joined the winery and began to position Bodegas Enguera among the great Valencian wineries.

By 2012, all the plots were certified organic, while work continues to make viticulture more sustainable and respectful towards the environment. That year Mr. Pedro Pérez Pardo passed away at the age of 90, having seen his grandchildren Juan Ramón Iglesias Pérez, Pedro Iglesias Pérez and Silver Segarra Pérez, forming the third generation of the winery.

Both Pedro and Juan Ramón that the strongly believed that the company should contribute to improving society and caring for the environment. Thus, in 2014, they created Enguera Planet, a research center aimed at mitigating the effect of climate change by establishing organic farming techniques including promotion of biological control of pests, the reduction of the carbon footprint and the reduction of water use.