Bobal is a red grape grown in the area of Utiel-Requena and Manchuela, whose main characteristics are its high yields, excellent acidity, and high polyphenol (or anti-oxydent) content, and in particular its pigment-intensive anthocyanins
It is worth remembering its importance in terms of planted acreage, since Bobal is one of the three most heavily cultivated red varieties in Spain, following Tempranillo and on par with Garnacha. But what’s most surprising is the fact that almost all this grape’s production is concentrated in the same geographical area. Outside of Utiel-Requena and Manchuela we have only encountered Bobal on our numerous trips to the Italian island of Sardinia, where some people say it goes by the name of Bobale.
Historically, due to its characteristics, wines made with Bobal tend to show good color, good acidity and a certain neutrality of flavor, which made them ideal as blending components for wines in other regions, to be sold in bulk and shipped through the port of Valencia. But starting a few years ago, some viticulturists and winemakers have tried to show the world that Bobal can go much further in terms of producing excellent wines in its own right, both for drinking young and for aging. The grape just requires the necessary pampering and care to reduce yields for better varietal typicity, along with some changes to the production objectives to drive more complexity and finesse.
The Bobal variety is possibly the best grape in the world for crafting rosé wine.
Finally, please take note that in our opinion the Bobal variety is quite likely the best variety in the world for rosé / rosado wines, without forgetting to considerboth Shiraz and Garnacha. This is because in this style of wine the Bobal variety expresses all its fruitiness and freshness in a type of wine at times villified but ideal to consume when matched with our climate and Mediterranean cuisine.
The wines of Bobal have a deep color of intese purple, especially around the rim, highlighting the strawberry acidity of its varietal aroma among an entire palette of red fruit that we find in the various different versions. In the mouth its tannic structure is well defined, and its rustic tannin always gives it away. It is our job to know how to integrate these tannins into the wine without sacrificing its typicity.
