Azul y Garanza at Alimentaria 2008

At the recent Alimentaria food and beverage show I had the chance to meet Fernando Barrena of Azul y Garanza winery. Their "Seis" 10 month aged Cabernet / Merlot has been a favorite wine of mine for several years.

Azul y Garanza is located in Carcastillo, in the D.O. Navarra, near the Bardenas Reales Natural Park, a desert-like region in the north of Spain and their wines are organically made. Wine making duties are shared Maria Berrena, Fernando's sister and Dani Sanchez. The brand was launched in 2000, but the winery was built between the 1940's to 60's and uses cement fermentation tanks. This means no computerized controls for wine-making, just constant, round-the-clock care!