THE ESTATE OF LOS ALMENDROS, A UNIQUE SPOT IN EL BIERZO

To speak of Bodega del Abad is to speak of fine wines and, happily, also of an exceptional environment. Today we’d like to discuss the geographic particularities of one of our winery’s most significant locations: the estate of Los Almendros, with a connoisseur of this part of El Bierzo – the Bodega del Abad oenologist Ramiro Carbajo.

The first thing Carbajo points to about this estate is the striking views to be had from the vineyards. “As soon as you climb up any hillock what you see is a green sea – a sea of little valleys, all green,” he says, referring to the landscape in summer. 

A great expanse of vineyards offering a changing palette of colour according to the season we are in –a unique spectacle. And according to the Bodega del Abad oenologist, the grapevine is probably the crop best suited to the area – so much so that Carbajo refers to vines as “all that really can be grown on this soil we have”.

Why is this? On this land “we are, on one hand, retaining run-off water and, on the other, draining water off, as the rainfall we have here is a bit higher”, for the intermontane geography results in a concentration of humidity, with relatively shut-in winds. But, moreover, the estate’s slopes “help us a lot as regards sun exposure and air currents that keep the vines free of disease” by keeping them suitably aerated, Carbajo explains. Finally, this terrain “is good for drainage as regards channelling rainwater to lower parts”. 

The fact is that, geographically speaking, our Los Almendros estate is a unique, prime spot for winegrowing. A perfect place to achieve optimal quality in the grapes with which we make our Bierzo Designation of Origin wine at Bodega del Abad.