Is it Worth Visiting a Wine Fair in Alicante?

Last Tuesday, Emilio and I went to a wine fair in Alicante, featuring not only wines, but also merchandise for hotels, restaurants and cafes. However, there weren’t many visitors, which was a little disappointing, but for me it was an excellent chance to taste and learn more about wine. Emilio and I walked around the fair, while he expounded on other bodegas, their wines and what makes each wine different or special. (Flickr photo by opencontent)

I also tasted a series of wines from the bodega itself, as I had not done this previously. There were 3 red wines, the Aculius, Cup and the Albada, a young red produced exclusively for Valencia. Surprisingly, the tastes were totally and completely different. I preferred the Aculius, because of its soft texture in the mouth. And as I don’t drink much wine, it was a very good wine to start with. I also tried some white wines from various producers, as well as a dessert wine made with Moscatel that I really liked called, Cristalli from Vins del Comtat in Alicante. The wine tasted of pure orange and mango and was quite light and fresh in the mouth.

In the evening, as more people came from work, the fair filled with eager visitors, making the experience more pleasant to stay on. However, a lot of producers were already gone when the visitors started flooding in, which was a shame, as you would imagine that they would want to stay and chat with potential customers.

Would I go again next year? Aside from the fact that I won’t be here in Valencia, and that I wasn’t very stimulated by the fair itself, no I wouldn’t. If it weren’t for Emilio chatting with me about the region and the various wineries, I’d be seriously bored. With few people, and little knowledge as to where to visit, I don’t know if I’d be captivated. Maybe a bigger fair with more activity would be worthwhile, but for now, I’m just happy I was able to have one on one time with Emilio to learn about the wines from Valencia.

Adios,

Sjoerd Heijkoop

Week 3 of My Internship at La Casa de las Vides

Hi everybody,

It is now the third week in Valencia, Spain and at Las Casa de las Vides. Until now, I’ve been primarily working for Emilio, while he was abroad. As I mentioned before, I didn’t know anything about wine, and in this three weeks, I’ve learned a lot more than I’ve ever imagined. I am not an expert (yet), but at the end of the internship, I think I will feel well educated. And when I go back to the Netherlands, I can advice my family at home about wine!

During my day, I research various importer sites in order to create a comprehensive database. As a result, I learned a lot about the wine regions in Spain and the history of one. I didn’t know that Spain is one of the biggest wine producers in the world and that they were able to produce high quality wines at a very rapid pace historically speaking.

It is not only the work that is new for, but it is all new for me. The country is new, the culture, the city and it is the first time I lived on my one. In the Netherlands, I still live with my parents and brother, but now I am all alone. It was all new, but I am used to it and am starting to like it - even to cook and do the laundry.

The language is also new for me, and I try to learn it, but it is very hard. Harder than I expected, because Spaniards talk very fast and that makes it hard for me to understand. But I learn some Spanish words and I try to speak it, so at the end of my internship, I will be able to converse a little.

Ontinyent is a nice little city nearby the winery where I live. In the beginning, I didn’t know anybody, but now I have met more people and they are all very nice and kind! So I am not lonely on the weekends.

Last Saturday I visited Valencia with a friend from the Netherlands who is also in Spain for an internship. She came over to my place and we went to Valencia city, which is a beautiful and huge city. I definitely want to go again, because there is no way you can see it all in one day. Marieke (the friend from Holland) likes to shop, and we have seen a lot of shops, including “Zara”, which is very popular here. The next time I want to see more about the city, like historical landmarks and new architecture. There is much more to see in this area, so I trust that I won’t be bored.

If I have new experiences you will hear it.

Kind regards,

Sjoerd Heijkoop