In a region dominated by bulk wines and the country’s largest cooperatives, Recuero & Co. is strongly committed to farming indigenous grape varieties and making low-intervention wines. Behind it is Jesús M. Recuero, a winemaker with extensive experience in wineries and cooperatives in Yecla (Murcia) and Castilla-La Mancha, and the 5th generation of a family of growers in Villanueva de Alcardete (Toledo) who built their first cellar in 1873.
His grandparents and great-grandparents used to sell their wines in Madrid – it took them two days to reach the city by horse and cart. His father started bottling wine in Recuero’s current winery, built in the mid 1950s in the style of the area’s traditional architecture. The wines are the result of a change of strategy that culminated with the first red wine made from the Brujidera variety (also known as Moravia) in 2008, followed by a Tinto Velasco in 2009. Jesús has always been fascinated by the vigneron model in France and Italy, who are proud to show the identity of their regions in their wines.
Recuero owns 17 hectares of mostly old, head-pruned vines grown on three distinctive types of soils: sand, clay and pebbles with limestone. Grapes from six additional hectares are bought from purveyors. Production stands at around 50,000 bottles. This includes a dozen wines without the seal of any geographic indication but their vintage and grape varieties are certified.
The Calambur range is focused on wines with no added sulphites. It includes whites made from Airén (a certainly refreshing and improved approach to this variety), Malvar, Pardillo, Verdoncho or Gordal and Cojón de Gato; a Moravia rosé and two reds made from Moravia, their flagship variety and largest-production wine (around 5,000 bottles), and Tinto Velasco. Not all varieties are produced every vintage, however. Labels are illustrated with drawings of animals. The wines are fermented and aged in the region's traditional concrete vats, with some batches of reds spending some time in oak barrels. Tinajas (earthenware jars) are a recent addition at Recuero. With retail prices in Spain around €12, the Calambur wines are very affordable.
The Recuero Guarda de Familia is far more classic in style. Priced just under €30, it includes a white Airén and Malvar blend and a Tempranillo. Many of the wines mention the name Guzquia, a narrow strip of chalky ground with sand on the surface that stretches from Yepes to Los Hinojosos where many of their vineyards are planted.
Recuero also makes wine in Sierra de Gata (Cáceres, Extremadura) thanks to family ties with this region in Extremadura where traditional vineyards with great personality can still be found. Grapes are sourced from 10 hectares grown in the vicinity of the village of Villamiel. Varieties include the red Piñuela (Garnacha), Rufete and Tinto Fino or Tempranillo and the white Verdejo Serrano (Rufete Blanco) and Ojo de Liebre (hare's eye, in Spanish). The harvest is done in a couple of days so that grapes can be transported by refrigerated truck to Toledo, where they are processed. In Sierra de Gata, Recuero makes two whites, two reds and a sparkling wine (around 3,000 bottles each) under the brand Antier (it means the day before yesterday indicating a return to the past) with prices ranging from €10 to €14.
Aware of the potential of both regions, Toledo and Sierra de Gata, a third set of wines, appropriately named Mélangé, has been launched. Grapes from both places are blended and aged under a veil of yeasts in white (our favourite), rosé (very different from any other rosés) and red versions. Retail prices are similar.
