Founded in 1998, Bodega Numanthia, located in Valdefinjas, Castile and León, in the Northwest of Spain, is a veritable emblem of the Toro region wines.
Bodega Numanthia is living tribute to the fearless warriors of Numancia in Spain, whose inhabitants heroically resisted the Roman army for 20 years in 134 B.C. and finally preferred to sacrifice their lives rather than surrender.
This resilience is also found in the Toro wines in a region with longstanding traditions in winemaking and viticulture. These vineyards were planted by pioneer families centuries ago, back in roman times and since then, they have shown resilience surviving the phylloxera plague during the XIXth century and the extreme climate conditions typical of the region year after year. During the Middle ages, Toro wines were also the first in the world to travel to the Americas, carried on Christopher Columbus’ ships in 1492.
All shaped in bush vines and ungrafted, some of our vines are reaching up to 200 years old and are spread all around the Denomination of Origin Toro in distinctive terroirs.
Bodega Numanthia was the first estate to understand the potential of the Toro region and to reveal an outstanding Spanish terroir to the world, bringing the most beautiful expression of the timeless Tinta de Toro grape variet
Our vines, growing in a sandy and rocky soil, are a living symbol of resilience. They have been able to resist to time despite no irrigation being used, having to develop their roots up to 5 meters to reach the much-needed water.
Living embodiments of tenacity, they are strong in the face of the sharpest winter and the heaviest summer’s suffocating heat, one famous saying refers to as “nine months of winter, three months of hell”.
Our vineyards are a patchwork of over one hundred tiny plots, ensuring complexity and richness. Our vines are very old, some dating back to 200 years.
Preserving this unique patrimony is at the heart of our philosophy. All of the work in the vineyards are entirely manual in order to maintain the balance of the vines and the quality of the grapes. Our vines are dry-farmed and are managed organically and no pesticides are used.
Bodega Numanthia produces three expressions of a unique single varietal, Tinta de Toro, an autochthonous and rare grape variety said to be “the blackest of black grapes” and renowned for its concentration, balanced tannins and elegant notes.
Member of the Tempranillo family, the Tinta de Toro has adapted successfully to the Toro terroir producing very low yields, among the lowest in the world (<2000kg/Ha), ensuring high concentration, expressive wines and impressive quality.
The estate is an untapped diamond, raw and requiring expert hands to cultivate and shape the complex and elegant aromas of its wines.
We manage a patchwork of 200 parcels across the Toro D.O., located on either side of the Duero River. The diversity of these scattered vineyards ensures a wide range of terroir expressions. Bodega Numanthia is the ONLY winery in Toro that represents so fully the D.O. Toro, being rich from its 8 terroirs types, embodying the full diversity of the denomination.
Each terroir has its own characteristics - soil, altitude, microclimate - and provide a distinctive expression of Tinta de Toro. Parcels are vinified separately before being carefully blended by the winemaking team. The result is a wine with a unique balance of elegance and power.
We are at our very heart preservationists. The entirety of our operation is dedicated to making wines that honestly reflect the spare bounty of these vineyards. When you drink a wine from Bodega Numanthia we want you to savor the fruit of our diversity of climate, terroir and ancient vines which together create wines of uncommon texture, vibrance and beauty.
Weingut Prager Achleiten Riesling Smaragd is made from 100 percent Riesling.
Franz Prager, co-founder of the Vinea Wachau, had already earned a reputation for his wines when Toni Bodenstein married into the family. Bodenstein’s passion for biodiversity and old terraces, coupled with brilliant winemaking, places Prager in the highest echelon of Austrian producers.
Smaragd is a designation of ripeness for dry wines used exclusively by members of the Vinea Wachau. The wines must have a minimum alcohol of 12.5%. The grapes are hand-harvested, typically in October and November, and are sent directly to press where they spontaneously ferment in stainless-steel tanks.
Achleiten sits east of Weißenkirchen and is one of the most famous vineyards in the Wachau. The steeply-terraced vineyard existed in Roman times. Some sections have just 40 cm of topsoil over the bedrock of Gföler Gneiss, amphibolitic stone, and slate. “Destroyed soil,” as Toni Bodenstein likes to say.
Tasting Notes:
Austrian Riesling is often defined by elevated levels of dry extract thanks to a lengthy ripening period and freshness due to dramatic temperature swings between day and night. Wines from Achleiten’s highly complex soils are famously marked by a mineral note of flint or gun smoke, are intensely flavored, and reliably long-lived.
Food Pairing:
Riesling’s high acidity makes it one of the most versatile wines at the table. Riesling can be used to cut the fattiness of foods such as pork or sausages and can tame some saltiness. Conversely, it can highlight foods such as fish or vegetables in the same way a squeeze of lemon or a vinaigrette might.
Review:
The 2020 Ried Achleiten Riesling Smaragd offers a well-concentrated, fleshy and spicy stone fruit aroma with crunchy and flinty notes. It needs some time to get rid of the stewed fruit flavors, though. Full-bodied, fresh and crystalline, this is an elegant, complex and finely tannic Riesling that needs some years rather than a carafe to polymerize the tannins and gain some finesse. Tasted at the domain in June 2021.
At Prager, I could not determine that 2020 would be inferior to the 2019 vintage; on the contrary, the 2020 Smaragd wines fascinated me enormously in their clear, cool, terroir-tinged way. A 38% loss had occurred mainly because of the hail on August 22, although predominantly in the Federspiel or Riesling vineyards. There was no damage in the top vineyards such as Ried Klaus, Achleiten or Zwerithaler. "Interestingly, the vines are in agony for about two weeks after the hail. There was no more growth, no development of ripeness and sugar," reports Toni Bondenstein. The Veltliner then recovered earlier, while even picking a Riesling Federspiel in October was still a struggle. "Why Riesling reacted more intensively to the hail, I don't know myself either," says Bodenstein. Whole clusters were pressed to preserve acidity and to compensate for the lower extract, and compared to 2019, the 2020s were left on their lees longer. In June, however, the 20s in particular showed outstanding early shape.
-Wine Advocate 94 Points
Light yellow-green, silver reflections. Yellow stone fruit nuances with a mineral underlay, notes of peach and mango, a hint of tangerine zest, mineral touch. Juicy, elegant, white fruit, acidity structure rich in finesse, lemony-salty finish, sure aging potential.
Proidl Senftenberg Riesling Alte Reben Kremstal DAC is a white wine made of 100% riesling.
Pale yellow green with silver glints. Fine herbal savoriness with white peach and mineral nuances, followed by hints of lime but still rather restrained. Complex and taut, green apple, fresh acidity, citrus-mineral reverberations and exhibiting length. Definite ageing potential.
Review:
"A pale chartreuse yellow, with a silver sheen. Subtle floral notes, a hint of lime and white stone fruit, apricot and blossom honey. Juicy, elegant, white peach, a refined acidity, mineral and taut on the finish, precise, good length, with ageing potential. - Peter MOSER"
