When Antonella and Massimo moved from Italy to Spain, they didn’t know anything about wine, as they both have a background in architecture. After a year in Barcelona, they wanted a farm and left for Penedes, an area famous for Cava. After initial farming plans, they quickly became interested in making wine, as they couldn’t find the wine they wanted to drink. Many people had abandoned vineyards with old vines to start again with international varieties yielding more wine and giving them the plots. In 2007 the first vintage was made, and by now, they have become one of the poster children in the natural wine world. It’s not just because of the very iconic label, but also because they use local grape varieties and experiment with different styles.
It’s a crazy mix of seven native grape varieties that go into this red wine. All varieties macerate separately with the stems for a couple of days. After pressing, they continue to ferment individually for seven months until they are blended to create the final wine. Nothing is added or taken away to make a very wild and fresh wine in the bottle, almost like a little brother of some Jura wines during this process. The nose is filled with dreams of the countryside and wild berries, followed by summery sour cherries. Once you taste it, a new party of cranberries mixed with Mediterranean herbs joins in on the fun. To keep the theme going, I would try it with Spanish tapas and loads of “Pan con Tomate” (toasted bread with garlic, tomato, and olive oil).