How a Swiss pharmaceutical giant became an accidental wine producer. More on an artisan than a giant scale, to boot. And why restoring a 12th century abbey is part of the deal.
Spain: Abadia Retuerta
Novartis, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant, is known for such consumer brands as Maalox, Bufferin, Exedrin, and Gerber. They have a huge share of the prescription drug market and they are one of the world’s leading suppliers of vaccines and all sorts of health care products. They are not generally known for their cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo and merlot.
Wine is the merest fraction of the business of this mammoth global company, and they are winemakers by accident. About twenty years ago they acquired a run-down agricultural estate in Spain as part of a debt repayment and instead of selling it when the time was right they went ahead and developed it. In 1996, with the completion of a new winery and the vinification of their first harvest, Abadia Retuerta was reestablished.
The monastery and vineyards date back to 1146 and remained in the hands of the order of Saint Norbert until 1835, dominating the local wine market. The Romanesque twelfth century abbey (abadia, in Spanish), a National Heritage site, is being restored, something considerably more affordable for a huge corporation than for an individual proprietor. Located in an important wine region along the banks of the Duero River in north central Spain, east of the city of Valladolid, Abadia Retuerta is now turning out some notable wines.
I had the opportunity to learn about this fascinating history and to taste some of their wines when I recently had dinner with Donald Cusimano, the managing director of Abadia Retuerta, at Suba Suba, an excellent Spanish restaurant on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Mr. Cusimano is American by birth but has lived in many places around the world and like other people I have met in the wine trade seems to be comfortable in several countries and languages.
The Abadia Retuerta vineyards consist of 54 contiguous plots that are farmed and harvested and vinified separately. Part of the production is then blended and part is bottled as single block wines. Rivola is the mainstay of the blends, a combination of tempranillo and cabernet sauvignon, aged in oak. I sampled the 2004, which has a deep ruby color, a medium body, and a scent of berries with a touch of spice. It is concentrated but balanced with a freshness, softness and gentleness that are sometimes missing in reasonable priced Spanish wines. I found quite a bit of price variation on a search but $12 to $14 seems about average.
Abadia Retuerta Seleccion Especial 2004 is a blend of tempranillo, merlot and cabernet sauvignon that sells in the $20 range. It’s a bit richer than the Rivola, darker and more intense. It is an elegant wine, silky, subtle and complex—and a rewarding wine at the price. Cuvee Palomar 2003 is one of Abadia Retuerta’s premium labels. The wine is 50 percent cabernet sauvignon and 50 percent tempranillo, from plots considered some of the best on the estate. It is a serious wine with a heady scent of cherries and prunes but delicate on the palate with a lovely balance of fruit and floral. It sells for between $40 and $50.
Pago Negralada 2003 is a powerful wine made entirely of tempranillo from a single plot. I found it layered, full bodied, opulent and integrated. It was a sensual treat and extraordinarily good. I am no expert on Spanish wine but this had to be one of the finest I’ve tasted. Expect to pay $100 and up.
Abadia Retuerta is a large operation that has successfully combined foreign ownership with local, hands-on quality winemaking. It could not have been easy although the corporate fortune must have smoothed the way. Their lower priced wines are dependable and excellent value for the money. Their expensive wines are breathtaking.
