There are all kinds of ways to approach to these group trips and a lot depends on the importer and what they are trying to accomplish. .  Typically the ‘tours’ cover a bit of distance because importers tend to have a few producers in a variety of locations.  Depending on the importer, the pace can be anywhere from casual to brutal, though it most often leans to the latter.  Meaning no disrespect, these types of trips with certain importers have been colloquially labeled ‘death marches’ by many in the trade.  What do we mean?  Well, we have been on ones where the group hits the road  at 8 A.M. and visits 3-5 wineries per day, often ending at 9-10 o’clock at night, sometimes later if dinners are involved, then off to bed, and up the next day to do it again. The information comes fast and furiously and one’s absorption rate is severely tested.  In the end, should  one survive, a lifetime experience or two is likely. 

If it sounds fun however, like going to a few wineries on Hwy 29 in Napa on a Sunday afternoon, you really haven’t grasped the full meaning.   These sojourns are no picnic. It’s wine from morning ‘til night, traipsing in and out of cellars, barrel rooms, vineyards, etc. for several days on end.  On the bus, off the bus.  Interesting?  Absolutely.  Enlightening?  To be sure.  Fun?  Maybe in a hardcore way to wine fanatics, but far too grueling for those only casually committed to wine as a rule.  It is work.  Looking back, the planned pace of this particular trip was relatively easy by comparison to others we have been on.

The wine portion of the trip started with everyone meeting at the Madrid Airport to hook up with the bus.  The logistics of coordinating international flights from several parts of the U.S. to all arrive in Madrid within a 90 minute window is a daunting task in itself, but it went off with only minor casualties (3 of the 30+ people did not connect somewhere in the air travel process and missed the ‘kickoff’ of the trip). 

Day one was spent in the Vinos de Madrid region, south of the city, relatively obscure even to Spaniards,     it has a long grape growing history.   The first stop was a Vinos Jeromin, the family vineyard of Manuel Martinez who is probably better known in this country for the Vinos Sin-Ley label that he co-founded, and specifically a G5 Grenache bottlings from 120 year old vines..  This was the first stop directly after leaving the airport and set the tone for the theme of the whole trip.  The bus stopped and we all walked up a small hill to the vineyard where there was a table set up with glasses and wines out in the vine rows.  The main program with the Olé tour is, for better or worse, to taste the wine in the vineyard.  The Jeromin Zestos bottlings, modestly priced wines, were from the 2008 vintage were our first reds from ’08, a vintage that had wildly mixed reviews that seemed to depend on what part of Spain you were from.  They were solid offerings that will be worth looking into when they arrive in country later this year.  Bearing in mind that a number of folks had just gotten off of a plane, some jamon (ham), chorizo, and cheese were dispensed after the presentation of the wines and back to the bus to head to our next destination, Licinia, also in the Madrid appellation. We’ll cover that next time.