Drink to me – were Pablo Picasso’s last words. It is a well-known fact that he was an avid wine drinker himself. Now what is it about Spanish wine that so consumed his passion? Even for the ancient Romans, Spanish wines were their favourite.They enjoyed the nuances and finesse of Mencia along with the robustness of Tempranillo.
Mencia, a Spanish grape variety used to produce red wines, is mostly found in northwest part of Spain and is spread approximately 22,000 acres.The region includes the districts of Bierzo, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras Dos. It is one thing is to have various versions and stories of a grape’s origin. Mencía’s origin is shrouded in mystery,which simply adds to the lure and excitement of this grape variety. The area is not very touristy, maybe that explains why Mencia has been off the global map for so long. Also, if one may add, the grape never got any attention from the locals. The vine was cultivated by economically challenged growers, that too mainly on flat plains where the yield tends to be high, thus compromising on the quality of the wine. This made for lean, gutsy and thin wine. But a few quality-minded and conscientious producers persisted, slowly gaining ‘notoriety.’ And things changed sharply in the 1990s when there was a boom of excellent mencia.
