Arinzano, a Vino de Pago in Navarra.

At Arinzano they are very proud to be a Vino de Pago, a vineyard recognised as a specific site, a superior appellation within an appellation is the simplest way to put it. Their name may not be one  you are not familiar with but wearing my non-expert hat I loved it, especially the white ( my usual weakness ).  My trip to the estate in Navarra was the repeat of a visit for the Finest Wines of N Spain book,which was in itself a wonderful eye-opening experience. The estate is now under new ownership but the gate and its view are still stunning, only this time I arrived after a two hour taxi ride from Bilbao which should not be seen as a drawback but very much a bonus. The scudding dark clouds were too. Its a dramatic spot that would have looked a little tame under a clear blue sky. The guest accommodation was perfect, with vines all around and I was spoilt with lunch and dinner at a variety of suitably good but relaxed local restaurants in the company of the wine maker, Diego Ribbert and  the general manager Manuel Lozada. What could go wrong…? Is n’t there always a downside, a hiccup …?

No not here.

That was saved for another job….

The kind of shot that needs the light coming from just the right direction and means an early morning.

On the other hand the location of the vineyards in a valley running north to south means the ‘hero’ shot will have to wait until mid morning which gives me time to get breakfast before I scramble up through the scrub and thorns to a suitable viewpoint.

Breakfast, deserved and needed. In Spain lunch is mid afternoon.

3 cameras ready to go.

Dramatic light means heavy rain is on the way.

The valley channels the wind and the rain moves on. Rot is not a problem here.

Eventually it rains and its time for lunch.

Followed by some indoor work in the cellars.

Clearly looking forward to having their picture taken, José, Manuel and Diego.

More of the team Diego with Ana and Iván.

My fun transport among the chardonnay !

An attempt to do a slightly different ‘bottle shot’ Shooting a moving target and getting the labels sharp was not as easy as I had thought !

Ana realises that modelling is hard work !

Coffee and cake was our reward.

Manuel hard at work in the cellar.