We discovered Chinchilla wines by accident. One night last year we were dining at Pez Tomillo Restaurant in Malaga (which is my favorite restaurant there) and we opted for a local Ronda wine called Seis+Seis and there was no math to it - it was love at first sight. After a while, we tried another Chinchilla wine called Doble Doce in a lovely Argentinean restaurant in Marbella, called Tehuelche and that was the trigger for us to go and visit this vineyard that makes this incredibly divine wine. Doble Doce is a full bodied wine with rich ruby red color. It’s smooth and intensely aromatic. It’s the first Spanish wine to win: In Paris – The Gold Medal of the ‘Best Cabernet-Sauvignon In The World’.
So on the last weekend of the year, we made our way to Ronda to visit the beautiful Bodega Doña Felisa vineyard where they make the Chinchilla wines. Even though it was founded in 1999 by José Maria Losantos, and his wife Gema Alonso, who are natives of Burgos, the vineyard holds a lot of important history. Surrounded by the SerranÃa Rondeña it falls within the D.O. Sierras de Malaga: and lies close to the ancient Roman city of Acinipo, where, a century before Christ, fine wines were created to be exported to the whole Roman Empire. As you get a tour of the bodega you will also see the ancient Roman artefacts that they have found throughout the years. Gema was the guide of our tour, and it’s so lovely to see how people are so passionate about wine and not only it is a family business, it is actually already the second generation of winemakers.
The tour started by visiting the vineyards with stunning views, then moving on to the different areas of the Bodega - the Elaboration Room, the Bottling Room, and the Barrel Room. Obviously, the tour ended with a wine tasting with delicious home made Spanish tapas, so you are able to follow the whole process of wine making from the grape all the way to your glass. The bodega makes Red, White, Rose and Sweet Wines, but the way the create them is very special and very organic. Chinchilla wines are elaborated through a process controlled at all stages: combining the cultivation of the vineyard, selection of the grapes to be picked, which are then harvested by-hand. Thus their wine is grown and matured exclusively to their own design and conception, allowing them to offer a product of the highest quality. For example, the fermentation of the wine takes places in the very expensive but amazing quality French oak barrels when the wine is aged 12 months and did I mention they don't use pesticides?
Overall, I really recommend you to visit this charming bodega and try their wines, whether you love red, white or rose, you will not be disappointed. The bodega also offers a visit with lunch if you’re interested in a longer day out in Ronda. And if you’re too busy to drive all the way there, then why not order their wines online and they can ship them to you!
Bodega Doña Felisa
Cordel del Puerto al Quejigal s/n C.P.
29400 Ronda (Málaga)
Tel: +34 951 166 033
info@chinchillawine.com
