Los Llanos
Heading south from Madrid one travels through the flat and aptly named Meseta (tabletop),home to Spain's wine lake in La Mancha. The southern fringe of this region is Valdepeñas - the valley of stones - and what enables Valdepeñas to make quality wines when the neighbouring region has had an image problem in recent years is a bed of limestone which underpins the area. This allows for water retention in a climate that is extreme: -8 C in winter and regular 35-40 C in summer. Bodegas Los Llanos was founded in 1875 by the Caravantes family but was sold some hundred or so years later to the Cosecheros Abastecedores SA group. 300 hectares are planted to Cencibel, the local name for Tempranillo, and 50 for Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery is state of the art and the underground cellar can hold up to 15000 barrels.