At the APVSA Wine tasting this month in Washington D.C. I had the opportunity to taste a couple of wines from Pradorey Winery and Vineyards. Pradorey Winery is a large winery located along the Douro River in Spain.
Adaro 2016 with 14.5% alcohol, was produced with Tempranillo grapes and aged in French oak for 12 months. The wine was a translucent dark red color with an aroma of earthiness accompanied with red fruit. The wine was medium bodied with tannins and the taste was of red fruit including raspberries. The finish was long. Pradorey suggests pairing Adora with game, roasts and red meats.The Adora was named for the founder of the winery – Javier Cremades de Adaro.
The Élite bottle of wine is unique with its bottle wrapped in a translucent light weight paper with the bottle label appearing through the paper. The Élite was produced with Tempranillo Élite plantar grapes. This wine offered an intense aroma. The mouthfeel was medium bodied with smooth tannins. The wine offered notes of black berries. The finish was long. The winery suggests pairing this wine also with roasts, red meats and game.
About Pradorey
The land was purchased by Javier Cremades de Adaro in 1989 who planted the first 200 hectares of grapes.
Today the estate of Pradorey consists of 3,000 hectares, of which 520 hectares are the vineyards. The majority of the vineyards are planted with Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Current production is 2 million bottles. Oak barrels are sourced from American, Central Europe and France. In addition to the oak barrels in the winery, amphorae are also used in the production of wines.
The winery was built partially underground. Electricity is provided for the entire estate by a hydroelectric plant that was built on the Douro River in 1921. The estate also has a 640 module solar photovoltaic farm.
Pradorey encourages tourism. The estate has an historic inn, built in the 17th century. Close to the Inn is a 16th century Chapel. The winery offers a tour of the underground winery, a culinary tour and a family wine tourism event that includes a night’s stay at the Inn. Bookings can be made online.
The immense size of the estate allows for a large flock of 1,800 sheep, as well as a large dairy farm.
Pradorey wines are also available in the United States. If you have the opportunity visit Pradorey Winey in northern Spain.
Cheers!
Kathy
