San Francisco Somms Trek From the Alt Penedes to Jumilla
Beyond having a background in chemistry, there is no better way to understand what’s happening in a glass of wine than getting a firsthand experience of the terroir from which it originated. Given the unique customs, languages, and cuisines of Spain, a beverage professional’s first visit there is bound to leave an indelible mark.
And even after repeated visits, Spanish wine culture will continue to surprise and delight you with its old vines and innovative ways. Such was the case for three San Francisco-based wine directors – Beyza Yildirim of Mister Jiu’s, Daniel Alday of Verjus, and Joseph DiGrigoli of Kitchen Istanbul – who joined a group of colleagues from around the country to drink in Spain’s terroirs during a four-day visit with producers in the Thatcher’s Imports portfolio.
Yildirim and Alday view their first impressions as impactful. Alday, whose parents live in Valencia, saw Spanish wine with fresh eyes – not only his own but those of his peers, with whom a camaraderie developed during long bus rides. “There’s a new generation of producers in Spain and a new generation of wine buyers from very serious projects in New York and Los Angeles who are my age,” the 29-year-old points out.
Alday’s fast-track career began at Cotogna, owned by chef Michael Tusk and his wife, Lindsay, before he landed the role at Verjus -also run by the Tusks – last year.
Yildirim, who grew up around her family’s vineyard in Turkey, also worked at Cotogna before settling into her role at Mister Jiu’s. ‘The trip had many defining moments,” the WSET diploma candidate reflects. “We stepped out of the van at Domaine DexAie [located in the Sierra de Credos about an hour west of Madrid], and the vineyard smelled of lavender, mountain thyme, and dirt. When they opened the wine, everything we smelled in the vineyard was in the glass.”
Collaboration driving innovation in Spain
DiGrigoli, who has 15 years of experience under his belt, describes his role as wine director at Kitchen Istanbul as a “dream job.” He had been to Spain before, but this time he got to travel to several regions he’d never visited. “One of the coolest parts of the trip was being able to see the sort of collaborative spirit among the winemakers [even though they had] big differences of opinion in terms of viticulture and winemaking,” he says.
“I think that’s the sign of a really healthy wine scene.” He was also surprised and heartened by the thoughtful approach to both farming and production he witnessed across the board, such as omitting the application of herbicides and employing cover crops, doing native yeast fermentation, and using no additives but sulfur.
The group began in Barcelona and proceeded to visit Cisteller in the Alt Penedes, Ex Occidente in Catalonia, and Celler Joan d’Anguera in Montsant, followed by Carlos Sanchez and Artadi in Rioja, the aforementioned Domaine DexAie in Sierra de Credos, and finally Bodega Cerr6n (Stratum Wines) in Jumilla. Their evenings were spent dining with the winemakers or delving deep into the bottle lists at MICHELIN-starred restaurants.
According to Thatcher’s Wine operations coordinator/head of content Garrett Smith, who dubbed the trip “New Spain,” “We created this experience to earmark the unique stories of our producers, many of whom work outside the confines of their respective DOs” as rules have eased, allowing for increased flexibility and experimentation.
