Alanda Tinto, Quinta da Muradella 2016

José Luis' visceral love for his land expressed itself at an early age: in the late 1980s, while studying in Madrid to satisfy his family's desire, he made a point to return to Verín most weekends to work his father's 1ha vineyard in Pazos (see Gorvia wines) – not deterred from the 10-hour long bus return journey!

Setting out in 1991, José started a life’s work to restore the region's viticultural traditions which had been lost after WWII and Franco's dictatorship, when farmers abandoned hillsides and the mountain areas in favour of the higher yielding valley floors and an easier life. He works with no less than 24 Galician varieties (9 white and 15 red), all planted by massal selection, trialling different grapes in different locations (re-grafting when necessary) on various kinds of soils, mainly primary types: slate, schist, quartz and granite, looking for the perfect spot to bring out the best in each variety at insanely low yields. José's ultimate goal is to identify the ideal combination of ancient varieties for each plot, as it used to be in the region pre-phylloxera.

The red version of Alanda is a blend from the different vineyards, sub-zones, and soil types (many sit on granitic bedrocks) within the Monterrei DO. The different grape varieties (harvested at around 25hh) were fermented together, part in stainless steel, part in cement, with 1/3 of whole clusters and aged for one year in used barrels and cement tanks. It was then assembled and matured for a further year in stainless steel before bottling neither fined nor filtered.

The nose is fruit-driven, with cherry, herbs and a pinch of spice, and a medium-bodied palate with focused, red cherry flavours, fine tannins and balanced acidity. For drinking now to 2025.

Producer  Quinta da Muradella

Origin Verín, Ourense, Galicia, Spain

Grapes Mencía, Bastardo, Garnacha Tintorera, Mouratón, Gran Negro, Arauxa

Vintage 2016

Alcohol  13% ABV

Style Medium body elegant red

Bottle size 750ml

Winemaking Manual harvested, 1/3 whole cluster, 2/3 destemmed grapes fermented in stainless steel and cement with ingigenous yeast. Aged in stainless steel for 1 year. Unfiltred, Unfined

Notes Biodynamic, Natural, Organic