Bodegas Menade Nosso 2021

From Finca Menade, in Rueda, Castile and León, this white is born on the high Castilian plateau, at around 780 metres above sea level. The vines, farmed according to organic and natural principles, draw their energy from very stony clay-limestone soils, rich in pebbles. This continental terroir gives Verdejo an expression that is fresh, textured and deeply tied to its origins.

The grapes are harvested by hand at night, then vinified with minimal intervention. Alcoholic fermentation takes place spontaneously in stainless-steel tanks with native yeasts, followed by natural malolactic fermentation. The wine then rests on its fine lees for two weeks. Made without added sulphur, it favours a free and singular expression of the grape variety and the terroir.

This wine reveals notes of camomile, white flowers, honey, beeswax, peach, fresh grapes, grape must, damp earth, white pepper and fresh yeast. Creamy, slightly brioche-like nuances complete this natural, original bouquet. The palate, broad and unctuous, combines medium acidity with the fine bitterness typical of Verdejo, with an oily, supple texture and an elegant finish.

The history of wine in Spain is so ancient that no one really knows who brought the first vines to the region. When the Phoenicians arrived some 3,000 years ago and founded the present-day cities of Cádiz and Jerez, winegrowing was well established, and Spanish wines were widely traded throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa. You could say that Spain is a winegrowing miracle. After years on the sidelines of the fine wine world, it is now a major player. Investment and ambition in the vineyards and wineries are producing increasingly rich, complex (often very high in alcohol) and spicy reds that are more and more popular with international consumers. Proud to have more land under vine than any other country, Spain is only just beginning to capitalise on this resource consistently. Spain is an anarchic tangle of regions and sub-regions, just as its landscape is an anarchic tangle of incredibly rugged scenery. A glance at a map reveals the climatic diversity between Spain's many wine regions, from the green, rain-soaked vineyards of Galicia on the northern Atlantic coast to the sun-baked vineyards of the Mediterranean south-east. Spain's saving grace, as far as viticulture is concerned, is the average altitude of its vineyards, over 600 metres. Much of Spain's vineyard land therefore manages to produce grapes with good colour and acidity simply because night-time temperatures are relatively low and the grapes do not ripen until the end of a sufficiently long growing season. But there is real treasure to be found for those willing to dig, and now that a class of connoisseurs has developed in Spain, all kinds of ambitious investors have done their part to change the image of Spanish wine. Today a new generation of winemakers has quietly begun to craft spectacular wines and to experiment with grape varieties that would have been unthinkable until recently. Wine remains an important commodity and an integral part of Spanish culture.