My husband and I met Miguel Merino by pure coincidence about 5 years ago. We were taking my parents to Rioja for the first time. Since they love wine (especially the high quality stuff…) we had done some proper research and we were planning to go to Finca Allende in the lovely little village of Briones in Rioja Alta. This winery makes extraordinary wines and we were all very eager to see the winery and maybe get a glimpse of the wine maker himself and of course to buy some wines!
We took off early on a Saturday morning and on our way there (about 1 hours drive from Bilbao) we called the winery to let them know that we where coming. After having visited wineries in France, Germany, Italy, California and South Africa before coming to Spain we thought that it would be more than enough to secure an open door. No answer, so we figured they were working in the winery and couldn’t hear the phone. But when we arrived to the bodega there was nobody to open the door. So there we stood, all dressed up and nowhere to go.
Luckily I have a husband that doesn’t give up so easily and always has a plan B. He took up his Swedish wine magazine from 2001 or something and showed us an article about Miguel Merino and his wines. The article told the Miguel Merino story and noted Miguels first Reserva – MM reserve 1996 as the best Rioja he had ever tasted. Luckily Miguel Merinos winery is also in Briones, a bare 200 meters or so from Finca Allende.
Briones at this time of the day was totally dead so we never thought Miguel would open the door. We went up to his front door, knocked on it, and there he was. He said WELCOME with a big smile! He was so energetic, happy, funny, nice and generous. And his wines were to die for. It turned out that one of his best friends from way back is Lars Torstensson, a famous Swedish winemaker (if there is such as a thing; he produces high quality wines in Provence). Therefore I think Miguel felt a bit connected to us, being Swedes and all.
We spent probably 3 hours at his winery. He told us his life story, showed us all the details of the winery and then invited us to see his house. We met his lovely wife Susana and his oldest son (being in Spain, his name is of course also Miguel Merino). He opened many different bottles for us to taste and needless to say we ended up with the car full of wines. He called the local restaurant to make sure we got the best service and gave us a nice bottle to drink with the meal as well. We had the best Saturday in Rioja ever.
That day we bought MM reserve 1996 and 1998. These wines where so nice; when opening the bottles the nose was filled with blackberry, leather, tobacco, dill and lots of fruit on top of that. A classical Rioja but different in so many ways.
photo by Ryan Opaz
Since that first visit we have been coming back to this lovely winery for the great wines but also to meet with Miguel and his lovely family. He arranges twice a year, for his friends and family, wine gatherings where he starts off with some wine tasting and then continues organizes a cultural event. We’ve been to Dinastia Vivanco, a historical bus ride through some very old parts of Rioja, we’ve met some painters, authors and many other very interesting events in Rioja. Not to mention the wonderful medieval festival at end of June. Briones transforms into a medieval town with everything included; wine, animals, games, food, dance and music. Definitely a must if you’re in this area in June.
Miguel helped us a lot setting up Excelwines and we now have the pleasure and honour of selling his latest experiment; a 100% Mazuelo as well as his latest release the Miguel Merino Reserva 2001. Both wines are well worth trying. The 100% Mazuelo is just an amazingly powerful wine, rough but still delightful to drink. The MM Reserva 2001 is an amazing wine, the typical Tempranillo color and aromas fill you up with such a great sensation. Powerful fruit, cardamom, hazelnut, and dill, and stays in the mouth for minutes.
Miguel also makes a table wine for every day drinking – Cantiga. This is a project he makes together with his shy but friendly neighbour Daniel Pura. It’s a young wine with 5 or 6 months in oak, very fruity, light and with some nice tannins. We always have this wine at home; it’s our Tinto de casa.
If you get the chance, enjoy Miguel’s wines!
Anna
Tags: miguel merino, Rioja, Spain, tinto, wine
