2023 Envinate - Mencia Ribeira Sacra Lousas Vina de Aldea (750ml)

Envínate was founded in 2005 by four friends, Roberto Santana, Alfonso Torrente, Laura Ramos, and José Martínez, who met while studying enology at the University of Miguel Hernández in Alicante. What began as a winemaking consultancy grew into a project centered on distinctive, Atlantic-influenced sites in Ribeira Sacra and the Canary Islands. The group farms without chemicals, harvests everything by hand, and works the grapes by foot-treading, aiming for wines that speak plainly for the specific parcel they come from.

Lousas Viñas de Aldea takes its name from Aldea, meaning village in Galician, and Lousas, the slate soil that defines the Amandi sub-zone of Ribeira Sacra. The wine is a blend of old vine plots, some reaching sixty years of age, spread across the Amandi, Ribeiras del Sil, and Quiroga areas at elevations between 400 and 600 meters on gneiss, granite, and slate. It is built mainly from Mencía, with a small share of co-planted native varieties such as Brancellao and Merenzao. Each plot is fermented separately in open-top concrete or plastic vessels with indigenous yeasts, then the wine rests partly in concrete and partly in large oak foudres.

The result is pale garnet in color, with aromas of red cherry, pomegranate, wild herbs, and a hint of smoke. The palate is fresh and mineral, carried by crunchy red fruit and savory spice with true Atlantic energy. It pairs naturally with grilled salmon, roast pork, or a plate of Galician tetilla cheese.