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World Wine Travel Writers Explore Castilla La Mancha
This month, our World Wine Travel writers are exploring the Spanish region of Castilla La Mancha. The region surrounds Madrid, but the city itself is not considered part of the wine region. The only association many people have with this region is the musical “Man of La Mancha”, the story of Don Quixote. Have you ever had a wine from Castilla La Mancha? Scroll down further in this post to see what our writers have discovered!

Gulp / Hablo: Gluggable Liter Bottles
The Gulp / Hablo wines are a good example of an increasingly popular segment of the wine market: affordable low intervention (organic, biodynamic, natural) wines made for early enjoyment, bottled in 1 liter bottles. Other well known examples include La Boutanche, Litrona, Unlitro. The Gulp / Hablo wines are a joint project between Familia Parra and Bodegas Ponce to bring their own take on the popular 1 liter category. The wines are made from certified organic and biodynamic vineyards and are vinified with ambient yeast, aged briefly in stainless steel, then bottled and shipped. All three of the wines we enjoyed were from the 2020 vintage, meant for immediate enjoyment. In the spirit of easy enjoyment, I kept the tasting notes very brief.

Gulp/Hablo Verdejo – White Wine 2020 ($18 locally at France 44) 12% abv
Floral – gardenias, citrus – limes and tomato leaf. Lively acidity.

Gulp/Hablo Skin-Fermented Verdejo-Sauvignon Blanc 2020 ($22 locally at France 44) 11.5% abv
Mango, ripe cantaloupe with musky tones, nice acidity. Best with just a slight chill, not too cold. I thought this was the best pairing with our Spanish Monte Cristo sandwiches.

Gulp/Hablo Garnacha – Red Wine 2020 ($22 at France 44) 12% abv
Pale color just like textbook Garnacha, ripe strawberries, a touch of fresh green herbs, medium acidity, very easy drinking. Also loves just a bit of a chill. Flavorwise, this was the most mainstream of the three wines.

(click on any photo for a full size slide show)

Spanish Twist on Monte Cristo
In looking for an appropriate food pairing, I wanted to keep the dish easy and fun, just like the wines. I found a Bon Appetit recipe for a Spanish twist on Monte Cristo Sandwich with ingredients from Castilla la Mancha. Swap out typical Monte Cristo ingredients for their Spanish counterparts: Serrano ham, Manchego cheese (very typical of La Mancha) and Membrillo quince paste. The sandwiches were delicious and we enjoyed trying all the wines alongside.

Castilla La Mancha Discoveries by World Wine Travel Writers
Castilla La Mancha is a very little known region, so take a look at our writers discoveries linked below. Once you’ve finished, why not join our discussion? Just look for #WorldWineTravel on Twitter on Saturday Nov. 27 from 10-11am CDT, we’d love to hear your thoughts and questions.

• Camilla is Chasing Windmills with Tojunto + Bodegas Volver La Mancha Single Vineyard Tempranillo 2017 at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Martin is Tasting A Rare Grape Variety: The 2018 Bodegas Gratias Tardana Sol at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
• Jeff entices us with La Mancha by the Liter – Gulp Hablo at Food Wine Click!
• Gwendolyn is Dreaming Impossible Dreams: Tilting at Windmills withTempranillo and Verdejo from Castilla La Mancha at Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley.
• Lynn is living La Mancha Local – Wine with Project Envínate at Savor the Harvest
• Linda shares ‘Valley of Rocks’ Wine from Spain Rocks with Spanish-Style Pizza at My Full Wine Glass.
• Terri pairs Turkey Tamales and Eguren Tempranillo Vino De La Tierra De Castillo at Our Good Life.
• Deanna is having a Rock Crab Boil + a Castillan Mag in a Bag Rose at Wineivore

Resources

• Castilla La Mancha Wine Tourism
• Very nice Castilla la Mancha Tourism Brochure
• Wine Tourism Guide (Spanish)
• T. Edwards wines (importer) description of Gulp/Hablo wines