Envínate ‘Lousas’ Viñas de Aldea Tinto 2021

Location: Spain, Galicia, Ribeira Sacra

Winemaker: Roberto Santana, Alfonso Torrente, Laura Ramos, & José Martínez

Grapes: mostly Mencía (with Merenzao, Brancellao, Sousón, Garnacha Tintorera, Mouratón)

Soil: slate

Winemaking: fermented 1o0% whole cluster with wild yeasts in open top plastic tubs with 25-40 days maceration (except Souson, which sees only 7 days), then raised in used 300 and 400 liter French oak for 11 months with no racking. A touch of SO2 is added only at bottling, and the finished wine sees no fining or filtration.

‘Lousas’ Viñas de Aldea: Aldea means “village” in Gallego; thus, this is Envínate’s “village wine”, produced from a combination of –minimum- 60-year-old plots located in the ancient vineyard region of Ribeira Sacra. The native vines are grown on steep slopes made of slate and sit in between 400-600 meters elevation.

From the importer Jose Pastor: Envínate (translates as "wine yourself") is the brainchild of 4 friends, winemakers Roberto Santana, Alfonso Torrente, Laura Ramos, and José Martínez. This gang of 4 formed back in 2005 while studying enology at the University of Miguel Hernandez in Alicante. Upon graduation, they formed a winemaking consultancy, which evolved into Envínate, a project that focuses on exploring distinctive parcels mainly in the Atlantic-inflected regions of Ribeira Sacra and the Canary Islands. Their collective aim is to make profoundly pure and authentic wines that express the terruño of each parcel in a clear and concise manner. To this end, no chemicals are used in any of the Envínate vineyards, all parcels are picked by hand, the grapes are foot-trodden, and the wines are fermented exclusively with wild yeasts, with a varying proportion of whole grape clusters included. For aging, the wines are raised in old barrels and concrete, and sulfur is only added at bottling, if needed. The results are some of the most exciting and honest wines being produced in Spain today.