09 Feb 2024 Fondillón wins over Barcelona Wine Week
“An authentic luxury“, “a unique opportunity“, “mystical wine“, or “giants of the wine world” were some of the adjectives for the tasting of fondillón that took place at Barcelona Wine Week with Pedro Ballesteros MW and Ferran Centelles, sommelier of elBulli and creator of the Sapiens del Vino, part of the Bullipedia.
In a fully packed room with a waiting list, high level wine professionals from all over the world attended this master class in which 6 of these products were tasted. Ballesteros considered them wines “perfect to enjoy in silence, to close your eyes and travel in time” and highlighted the particular style of each winemaking family in them. For his part, Ferran Centelles praised the power of the natural oxidation of these wines, truly unique in the world and with such a small production.
The presentation began with a review of the history of cooperage in Alicante with Rafael Poveda followed by David Carbonell, who explained the present-day cooperage heritage with “pipes”, “bocoyes”, and casks that are also unique in their creation and constitution. The wines tasted were Gran Mañán 1982, Laudum 1988, Tesoro de Villena Solera 1972, Luis XIV 25 years, Brotons Gran Reserva 1964 and a novelty such as Fondillón Siglo XXI from Bodegas Monóvar.
During the fair, the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, also praised the exclusivity of these wines, which were recognized by the organization itself in 2020.