Since good wine is still slowly trickling into Vietnam, I was pleased to hear that Bodegas Castano has finally made its way to Saigon.

Bodegas Castano is a third generation family run winery located in Murcia province in the South East of Spain.

Though it lies just 70km away from the Mediterranean sea, the area of Yecla where the Castano vineyards are located enjoys a dry continental climate, characterized by very cold winters and very hot summers. At 700m above sea level, the vineyard enjoys a perfect topography and climate to produce great wines.

The Castano family has been a pioneer in making wines using Monastrell grapes to the point where if you mention wine made from these grapes in Spain, most people associate them with Bodegas Castano. The wine is of such a high quality that they export 80% of their production.

The family started producing wines in the 70’s and used to sell wholesale, before focusing on quality wines in the 80’s and gaining an international reputation, exporting to 42 countries worldwide.

The secret to success is in the vines that don’t see any artificial irrigation, leading to better maturation and better quality grapes.

These days, the winery is run by three brothers who also cultivate olive trees from which they make exceptional olive oil.

You can enjoy many of Bodegas Castano’s wines at Vino (74 Hai Ba Trung, District 1). Just to name two of them, if you are after something refreshing, delicate and full of fruit, try the Castano Rosado, and for something full bodied (and one of my personal favorites with 91 Parker points), try the Hecula.

Alfredo de la Casa is a wine expert who runs the blog wineinvietnam. In order to increase awareness about wines available in Vietnam, Alfredo periodically stops by to profile some of his favorites, their origins and why you should consider picking up a bottle.