Bodegas Fuente Victoria

I have just returned from the A.V. Los Moralicos (website) (Los Moralicos Neighbours Association) sampling of traditional recipies , held at Tio Pacos hotel cum restaurant (isn’t open yet, just for special occasions as it doesn’t technically have all the licenses) on the old Turre – Los Gallardos road, just past the first bridge. Lovely place, by the way. I hope he gets all the licenses.

While I was there -stuffing my already fat face with homemade chorizos, morcillas, chuletas, salchicas, chinzas, simas and the like, a fellow from Bodegas Fuente Victoria (website) came up and offered me free wine. Well, quite. They had a stand there.

I’ve always held the opinion that Almerian wines should only be brought because they’re from Almeria. Nice with homecured meat, but a little… over powerful with any thing else. But, they now have some of the snappiest bottle labels on the market. I was impressed, and was cajoled into a little wine sampling.

I tried the Talento Tinto, which comes in a Syrah or Temperanillo. Antonio (elderly fellow from Los Gallardos, no association to the Bodega) urged me to try what he called the “wine for the English”. What’s the difference? I asked. Well, he explained, it’s cheaper and comes in a bigger bottle. Ha Ha Ha. The fellow in a tie (I forget his name) poured me a glass of Tinto Joven – Syrah. Never have I seen a name that so accuratly describes a wine. The leaflet describes it as “very drinkable” and then gives up.

We continued onto the Sulayr, Necar del Sol. A white Macabeo. Described as a “Macabeo White, high in sugars”, they weren’t kidding. First two sips tasted like liquid chupa chups, but after that went down alright.

Flagging now, we went onto the Vigiriegos, which come in white or rosado. Vigiriego is a local grape that isn’t well known, but seems to have been cultivated here since the Phenecians. Temperanillo and Cabernet Sauvignon finish off the mixture. Dryer then the Sulayr.

My impression as I left munching a chorizo? If you’re curing your own meat in accordance to local recipies and traiditions, it wasn’t bad. Otherwise, why bother unless you want to buy local produce. I will say that it is a lot better than the last time I went through their range (back in 2005, I think, when it all tasted as if brewed in the basement), and is almost ready to put on the market, but there are cheaper wines on the market for the same taste. They were selling their bottles for €3,75 +.  The trouble is that the area can’t produce good Tinto grapes, it’s too hot and dry. So the local reds come out strong, rich, alchoholic and capable of knocking a mule off a cliff. The whites could come out alright, but are all too sweet and sickly for my tastes.

They’re getting there – they just haven’t quite hit the mark yet. Filter out the sugar, go for a dry is my advice. But I love their labels. And they’re lovely people and deserve a break, so just shut up, buy the stuff and give it to your guests. Go up to the Bodega, ask for a tour (Tlf 630 65 06 28), buy a couple of cases and give it to people with the excuse that it’s “local”.

Bodega Fuente Victoria 950 16 42 00