Bernuy, Spain – April 21, 2012
Today our good friends Sarah and Sandy asked us to go to a winery with them. We went to the Bodega de Osborne (Osborne Winery), in existence since 1772. Its symbol is the black bull. That symbol is present all over Spain along the roadsides.
The story goes that years ago, there were all sorts of roadside signs. Spain passed a law that all the signs should come down. They made a partial exception for the Osborne signs. They required the removal of the Osborne name from the bulls, but the figures could remain in place.
When we got within about two or three kilometers (1.2 to 1.8 miles), the GPS directed us off the main road to a much narrower way. At one point the road straightened out. At the end of the road was one of the black Osborne bull signs. Of course, we had to stop to take a photo. Sarah and I got out of the car, and just about died! The stench was enormous. I am not sure if the smell was fertilizer or sewage treatment, but it was powerful. We quickly got back in the car and drove to the bodega.
The iconic Bodega de Osborne bull. This “sign” is visible throughout Spain.
When we arrived at the bodega, we saw several people milling around, obviously waiting for a tour. We walked inside the building to buy our tickets. We went into the gift shop and found out there was not a tour available. It seems the group we saw outside reserved the entire bodega for the day.
Just as we heard the news, one of the bodega employees took us into a wine tasting room. The employee poured each of us a glass of wine of our choice, and another employee brought out a plate of migas (crumbs) as a snack. Migas consists of bread, sausage, and peppers cooked in olive oil. It is tasty.
The wine that Leslie and I liked the most is Dominio de Malpica 2007, Vendima Seleccionada, Cabernet Sauvignon. We bought some. Three bottles in a wooden box cost 20€ (US$24). While the wine is excellent, it still does not beat our favorite, Crin Roja, Tempranillo. All that stated, I suspect our wine selection in our next post will be much more limited!
I took the opportunity to ask one of the employees about the horrific smell we encountered on the way to the bodega. She said there was a pig farm right at the turnoff to the bodega. I joked with her that was the smell of money. She thought that was funny.
Yet more varieties. The wine we bought is just to the right of the glass.
After our tasting, we returned to the gift shop. We bought several Osborne trinkets. So, our two glasses of “free” wine cost us about 40€ (US$48) each! We got back in the car and began our drive home.