Savoring the Harvest : Bodega Alfredo Maestro and el Rey del Glam, a Spanish Red Wine

Lucky. I call myself this having a friend who texted saying he was bringing his Coravin and four Garnacha (Grenache noir) wines to taste on his upcoming visit. Each qualify for a spotlight in ‘Savoring the Harvest’, yet today I share one that stood out; el Rey del Glam comes from Spaniard Alfred Maestro who literally started from the ground up. 

Although he has Spanish Basque roots, Alfredo grew up just south of the Spanish Basque country in Peñafiel, a town in the center of the Ribera del Duero wine region in Castilla y Leon (like a state in the US), and in the Valladolid province. While younger, he explored all five wine regions around that area: Ribero del Duero, Rueda, Toro, Tierra de León, and Cigales (where, by the way, DO designation is specific to rosado or rosé wines).

That curious exploration resulted in the planting of his own vineyard then the beginning of making wine in 1998. Eventually, he established his business – growing grapes organically from which he would produce wine – in his hometown Peñafiel in Ribero del Duero.

“From the beginning, he farmed organically, yet in the cellar he worked literally by the book, teaching himself enology from a textbook, using all the tricks to make a “correct” wine of Ribera del Duero. He would use cultured yeasts, tannins, color enhancers, etc. It took time, but Alfredo eventually had a revelation—as an organic farmer, why would he use chemicals to adjust the finished wine? It made the most sense for his cellar work to match the integrity which he used in the vineyard—so he did just that. He began eliminating unnecessary products and additives. By 2003 he was making wine without additives whatsoever, including sulfur.”  source

Alfredo is considered a prominent player in Spain’s natural wine movement. Natural wine … yes it may be a turn off for some, yet it is how wine was made before the mid-19^th century. Growers did not have access to chemicals and pesticides, so they utilized what the environment offered to help with pests. They also did not use winemaking enhancers, like filtration, wood chips, etc. The wine then was either fantastic, good, or not worth drinking. The same applies to natural-style wines today; and actually, all wines for that matter.

Tasting el Rey del Glam (the king of glamour) – Vintage 2022

You find 100% Garnacha in this bottle where grapes are split between two areas: small vineyard plots in the mountainous Sierra de Gredos (just south of Castilla y Leon and west of Madrid where the specialty is old vine Garnacha) and from Peñafiel, Alfredo’s home town in Ribera del Duero. He makes it in a carbonic maceration style where grapes are left unpressed going into the vat and fermentation happens within the berries. The process results in fruit-forward and generally lighter tannin wines as the juice comes in less contact with the skins. (A great discussion of carbonic maceration here if you want to geek out and another about the Sierra de Gredos area.)

Carbonic maceration jives with Alberto’s low intervention winemaking style, also called Lo-Fi, meaning minimal adjustments if any during winemaking. Interestingly, the term Lo-Fi is borrowed from music. 

“Technically Lo-Fi wine is undefined. The term is borrowed from music, where low fidelity describes a sound that’s comfortable with including imperfections. And with wine it’s not too different. Lo-Fi wines aren’t manipulated to perfection, instead they celebrate the more raw elements of winemaking.”  source

The feedback from our evening of tasting Garnachas? After starting with a Grenache noir blend from a small Napa producer, el Rey del Glam was a world apart. In fact, the wife (not a wine geek) of said friend who brought the wine shared she couldn’t drink it because it was weird smelling and too acidic for her. Yet Mark, said friend, and I commented on the first sip’s vivid acidity; it felt like a roller coaster’s crescendo that exploded with excitement after hitting the summit! For us, the interplay of the acid with the wine’s other elements – tannins, body, alcohol and flavors – was what we liked about the wine.

Generally, I find many natural-style wines have bolder acidity. Some people like it, others do not.

After swirling and sitting, the wine changed a great deal, softening to reveal a smoother, silkier feel and a berry fruit character with loads of flavors: red licorice, cinnamon, anise, black pepper. Structurally, the acidity balanced out with the other elements I mentioned above. Quite enjoyable at 12-15€ in the EU or 25 to $32 in the US. 

Interesting to note, said friend’s wife asked to taste it again after I commented on the changed profile. In the end, she loved it too! If I tempted you to find this wine, I recommend opening and letting it sit thirty minutes or so before tasting.

In the end, we enjoyed el Rey del Glam for its spiritedness upon opening yet as time passed, it quieted down just enough. Writing this now reminds me of my time working with young spirited horses, but this wine only left smiles, no bruises!

Find this wine:

• Bodega Alfredo Maestro 
• US Importer: Jose Pastor Selections
• Ungrafted Selections