Sorted! A great way to make tasty wine

Jan 31 2008 By Laurence Mccoy

HE may be 80-years-old but that doesn't stop Luis Canas taking his place at the sorting tables at harvest time.

And it's invaluable to have an experienced eye where the crucial decisions are made about which grapes are rejected and which are allowed to go forward to create the wines of this dynamic family bodega in Rioja.

It's been nearly 20 years since Senor Canas handed over the running of the business to his son Juan Luis, but when wine runs in your blood what can you do?

Juan Luis is more than happy to have him around.

"He's one of the cheapest workers we have," he jokes, as he reveals to a small group of us on a flying visit, just some of the secrets to making wonderful wine.

It was at the age of 33 that Juan Luis was given the responsibility of carrying his family traditions into the future.

And in the warren of gleaming stainless-steel tanks and ultra-modern equipment at the purpose-built winery it is easy to see that he has wholly embraced the possibilities that cutting-edge technology can provide.

However, all the hi-tech stuff is wasted unless the quality of the grapes coming into the winery is maintained. At Luis Canas the attention to detail in looking after the vines might seem almost obsessive.

With 90 hectares of its own vineyards and grapes bought in from regular suppliers from a further 200 hectares - around 815 separate plots in total - the key is to keep constant control.

Juan Luis has imposed a programme of exhaustive record-keeping that takes every factor into account, from the site and the soil, the root-stocks, varieties and age of the vines to weather patterns and history of each plot.

The data builds up a detailed profile that allows the vines to be carefully managed to their optimum capabilities and accurately designated to their final destination, whether it be the "joven" or young basic wines, or the oak-aged reservas and grand reservas and top of the range wines made only in exceptional years.

All harvesting is carried out by hand - with the steep terraces of the northern Rioja Alavesa making machine harvesting impossible.

The grapes are carefully transported in small boxes to the winery where they go through the rigorous selection process.

The surviving fruit then undergoes finely-tuned, temperature-controlled fermentation before the final wine is stored away in oak casks to take on the distinctive vanilla character that is the signature of Rioja.

Just to get an idea of the complexity of this aging process, it is fascinating to try a couple of samples still in their casks to see just how the influence of the oak developes and gradually integrates with the fruit and tannins of the wine.

And the finished product? To whet the appetite the white 2006, made from 90 per cent Viura and 10 per cent Malvasia, has floral and fresh aromas and delicious creamy melon flavours.

What better way to try the reds than with Luis Canas himself over a typically languid Riojan lunch, including fabulous cured ham, white asparagus and braised pigs' cheeks.

The Reserva 2001 is immediately attractive, one of the hallmarks of Luis Canas wines, with ripe fruit, hints of rich chocolate and balsamic in tandem with creamy oak held together by firm tannins.

Reserva De Familia 2001 has dense black fruit aromas with eucalyptus and mint. It's long, elegant and structured with integrated subtle oak. Amaren 2001 is made from low-yielding, over 60-years-old, Tempranillo vines. It is intense and generous, with alluringly open aromas of soft, ripe black fruits and waves of seamless cedar, chocolate and vanilla.

The extraordinary Hiru 2003 is the result of fruit from old Tempranillo vines which only produce up to three bunches each - with the result that only 5,330 bottles were made.

All this lavish care and attention has been applied to create a wine with astonishing concentration and power, an effortless, confident opulence and almost ethereal purity of fruit.

Despite its obvious pedigree - it has won handfuls of top awards and is priced accordingly - it retains a warm and open personality that is quite simply beguiling.

Senor Canas' labours on the sorting tables have not been wasted!

More information

See www.luiscanas.com and for stockists try www.winesearcher.com