{"id":13963,"date":"2017-04-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-02T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.invinic.com\/vega-sicilia-unico-is-it-worth-the-money"},"modified":"2017-10-05T14:44:47","modified_gmt":"2017-10-05T12:44:47","slug":"vega-sicilia-unico-is-it-worth-the-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.invinic.com\/en\/vega-sicilia-unico-is-it-worth-the-money","title":{"rendered":"Vega Sicilia \u00danico: Is it worth the money?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Vega Sicilia \u00danico<\/b> is one of Spain\u2019s most iconic wines<\/b>, and is considered by many to be the <\/span>best red wine in the world<\/span><\/a>. Sounds good, right? The one thing to keep in mind before picking up a case or two is that Vega Sicilia \u00danico does not exactly come cheap. This is not an everyday wine. You can expect to pay around \u20ac400 per bottle – <\/span>minimum<\/span><\/i>! The question, then, must be \u201cis it worth the money?<\/strong>\u201d Let\u2019s look at what makes \u00danico so special, shall we?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You may have heard of <\/span>Bodegas Vega Sicilia<\/span><\/a>. Located in the Ribera del Duero<\/a> area, it is widely recognised as one of Spain\u2019s greatest wine producers. Since its establishment in 1864, the winery has earned its reputation for producing wines of exceptional elegance, concentration and personality.<\/span><\/p>\n The Ribera del Duero region has many superstar wineries today, chief among them Pingus, but it was Vega Sicilia that really blazed the quality trail. Vega Sicilia \u00danico is the estate\u2019s flagship wine, its Gran Reserva.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Well, to start with: Its name. \u201c\u00danico\u201d means \u201cunique<\/strong>\u201d, and it\u2019s no misnomer in this case. Vega Sicilia<\/a> \u00danico is one of the world\u2019s most distinctive wines, and that all starts in the vineyard. Remember that 1864 date? It\u2019s an important one, because that\u2019s when Don Eloy Lecanda Chaves returned from a jaunt to France\u2019s <\/span>Bordeaux<\/span><\/a> region, and he had his hands full. He brought vine cuttings of <\/span>Bordeaux blend<\/span><\/a> grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and <\/span>Merlot<\/span><\/a>, and the Vega Sicilia vineyard was planted.<\/span><\/p>\n Today, there are numerous vineyard factors that account for Vega Sicilia \u00danico\u2019s prestige (and price!), including the practice of green harvest leading to incredibly low yields. Everything that happens among the vines is meticulous and careful, and these low-yielding vines produce fruit of huge concentration and the absolute top quality.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Many wine lovers associate Spanish wines with <\/span>oak ageing<\/span><\/a>. In <\/span>Rioja<\/span><\/a> and Ribera del Duero in particular, high-end red wines spend months or years ageing in oak vessels, be they large vats or smaller barrels. Vega Sicilia \u00danico is legendary for its oak maturation.<\/span><\/p>\n As a Gran Reserva level wine, it must of course adhere to regional minimum ageing times. Bodegas Vega Sicilia takes its oak ageing very seriously, however, and \u00danico\u2019s ageing process is a spectacle in itself. It is routine for the wine to be racked and transferred between oak vessels of different sizes, of different origins and different ages. \u00danico is known to spend a great deal of time ageing in oak too – the legendary 1970 vintage was matured for 17 years before its release! <\/span><\/p>\n If you think that all this time makes Vega Sicilia \u00danico some sort of overpowering oak monster, think again…<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Still not convinced?<\/strong> Let\u2019s do a little virtual tasting to see whether Vega Sicilia\u2019s top wine is really worth the money. Let\u2019s open a bottle of <\/span>Vega Sicilia \u00danico 2000<\/b><\/a> and see what we find\u2026<\/span><\/p>\nWhat is Vega Sicilia \u00danico?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What makes Vega Sicilia \u00danico unique?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Vega Sicilia \u00danico and oak<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Tasting Vega Sicilia \u00danico wine<\/strong><\/h2>\n