Sierra Norte and the Jarama Valley are one of the most humble and forgotten wine regions in Spain; that might soon change as it is set to become the fourth subarea in DO Vinos de Madrid shortly. The new enclave will be known as El Molar, the village with the largest surface under vine. Final approval from Brussels is expected to be imminent.
Óscar Pasanau, whose family makes wine in Priorat, is behind Uvas Veloces. What drew his attention to the area was the connection between the ancient Carthusian monasteries of Scala Dei in his native rugged Catalan region and El Paular in the mountains north of Madrid, whose monks established a substantial agricultural base which included vineyards in the village of Talamanca del Jarama.
Óscar started working with Garnacha sourcing grapes from rented vineyards which are closely overseen by him in order to control pruning, yields and harvest times. Most of these vines are planted on the right bank of the river Jarama benefiting from an eastern exposure that protects them from the strong afternoon sun. The project is called Uvas Veloces (literally “Fast Grapes”) after the neighbouring Jarama race track.
Under the same brand, he currently produces a single-varietal Garnacha (5,000 bottles, €10 in Spain) and a blend of Tempranillo with Garnacha and Albillo called Uvas Veloces Tinta Castiza (less than 4,000 bottles, €10).He also manages a small project in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, in the Gredos mountains west of Madrid where he makes another single-varietal Garnacha (€10) under the Vinos de Madrid seal.
He favours fermentation with stems and his wines are aged in cement tanks and oak for a short period of time. Óscar plans to release some single-vineyard reds in the near future.
