2019 Nin-Ortiz Terra Vermella

Ester Nin and Carles Ortiz are the proud owners of this tiny wine estate with vineyards in Porrera and Torroja and in Gratallops. Ester is an oenologist and biologist and originally from the higher part of the Penedès, in El Pla de Manlleu. Carles is responsible for the vineyard, together with his mules Negret and Max. Ester is best known for her work as an oenologist at Clos Erasmus in Gratallops and at NUN, Enric Soler's top white wine in the Penedès, the first vintages of which she vinified. She resolutely opts for biodynamics in all her projects.

This Terra Vermella is currently the only wine made from the Montanega grape variety, a variant of Parellada, from the slopes of Selma (El Pla de Manlleu), an extinct mountain village located in the Montmell Mountains in Catalunya. It is a project by Ester Nin and her brother, who come from El Pla de Manlleu. The subsoil is a mixture of red clay and stones, hence the name of the wine 'Terra Vermella' or 'red earth'. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically. An exceptional and very rare wine with a varietal and Mediterranean identity. Cult.

Terra Vermella comes from a one hectare vineyard planted in a clay-limestone soil in which the mixture of red clay and stones gives a very peculiar color. Hence the name of the wine Terra Vermella, which means red earth in Catalan. Biodynamic farming is practiced with herbal teas made from plant extracts and mineral sulfur, taking into account the moon phases in each process. In the glass, the Terra Vermella has a gray towards rosé color in the glass. It looks a bit like an orange wine. However, this is due to the peel of the Montanega. Very spicy and Mediterranean on the nose with some gooseberry and a light touch of apple and pear. Nicely mineral in the mouth, elegant (12%) and not too firm. Fresh aftertaste.