The WineDeep ruby in color, with aromas of ripe dark fruits and earthy spice. Good acidity makes it a wine for pairing with savory dishes, and particularly those made with fruit - think pork chops with warm apples, poultry with cherry compote, Valencia oranges slow-cooked with lamb or other dishes that bring the sweet-savory nature of cooked fruit to your table. You can even pair this wine with the sweet-salty aspect of a Big Mac, if you must (and you know we all do from time to time)!
This wine's brand name - Caprasia - has a good story behind it. In the local dialect around Valencia, Spain (home to this obscure grape since at least the 1400's), the word translates as 'land of the goat', and the label depicts this historical time when goats ran wild on the land where grapes grow today. And the grape, Bobal, is very much under the radar here, but it's among Spain's most commonly planted reds, particularly in the Mediterranean area around Valencia.
To maximize the wine's 'varietal typicity' (the unique aroma/flavor of an individual grape variety), the winery follows the region's ancient production methods, including aging the wine in large, 150-Liter terracotta amphorae.
The Bobal grape takes its name from the Latin "Bovale" which refers to the shape of a Bull's head, a shape the grape cluster evokes. Bobal is the undisputed Queen of the region, though it can lean towards the brutish side or red wines when made by a lesser producer.
Hand-harvested, the wine undergoes natural yeast fermentation in temp-controlled stainless steel vats, then spends 14 months in used oak barrels and terracotta amphorae, before being bottled and aged for another 6 months prior to release. This extended aging is very rare for a wine at this price point and produces a softer and finer wine that is ready for your table. Drink now through 2025.
The Winery
The slogan for this family winery is "Ancient Terroir, Organic viticulture, Fine wines". The winery's name is a combination of Vega - a river-side meadow - and Alfaro, the historic name of the estate property. The Caprasia line of wines is their mid-tier line among three.
The grapes for the Caprasia brand come from the Finca Alfara estate, where century-old Bobal vines are pruned in the ancient goblet (bush vine) method where no trellising is used.
