Description
100% Verdejo wine.
Certified organic natural viticulture treated in a special way, seeking a lower yield in order to obtain a higher maturity.
"Return to nature what man has stolen" THE VINEYARD
Board Characteristics
Store: Own Vineyards, in Bodega Menade, Rueda (Valladolid)
DO Rueda
Add: 2021
Grade: 13,5%
Variety: 100% Verdejo
Operating temperature: 8-10ºC
CATA's notes: Menade Verdejo is a white wine with aromas reminiscent of white fruits on the nose, accompanied by herbaceous notes of fennel, bay leaf and thyme. In the mouth it is tasty, fresh and balanced with a subtly bitter finish, very varietal. A truly typical Verdejo, with a long and elegant finish.
Preparation:
The average age of the vines is between 20 and 25 years. The soil is calcareous and stony clay with abundant edges.
Climate: Continental climate, characterized by very cold winters and very hot summers, with large day / night temperature fluctuations.
There are three different types of harvest: green (day and manual), night and mechanized. Inertization with carbonic snow (-80 ° C) from the moment of its collection and until its pressing, which allows the wine to be made without any addition of sulfur.
Vinification: it is carried out in a stainless steel tank with wild yeasts. Controlled temperature between 18 and 22ºC. The deposits are of different capacities, thus being able to separate the different parcels / payments according to the differentiation of structures and soil compositions. Subsequent maturation of the wine in its sediments for a controlled time.
Bottling: clarification with bentonite, natural stabilization against cold, filtration before bottling.
Pairing: At Made in Spain Gourmet we recommend it with white fish, fresh and soft cured cheeses, seafood pasta, fish rice dishes.
The vineyard
The key is to combine tradition and technology to pamper the vines. It is about seeking an alliance with the environment to take advantage of the resources it provides, take care of it through traditional cultural practices. At Menade they replace chemical treatments with other natural techniques, such as plant infusions (nettles, cinnamon...) or whey, which are more respectful of the soil, the vine and yeasts. Far from being enemies, the insects that populate the Menade vineyard are faithful allies for the prevention of pests. First they are attracted with aromatic extracts to act as predators and then rest in their 'hotels', pollination gardens full of aromatic plants where insects and reptiles live in harmony. The ecosystem of the farms is completed with a series of shrubs and mobile trees in order to improve the biodiversity that populates the vineyard. A polyspecific garden with more than 40 species from Castilla y León that is alive all year round welcomes the winery. All these practices have an impact on the final result of the wines, because in addition to tasting good, they feel good. They make wines free of allergens and histamines. Through all these mechanisms, Menade has taken a step beyond the ecological label. They are no longer green, they are natural.
WHERE 40 SPECIES LIVE
The also called Bodegas Menade Pollination Garden is a large polyspecific garden with native species from Castilla y León that is alive all year round, for this reason perennial and cauda species have been used in order to develop a large floral circuit for all kinds of insects. , looking for a great entomological variety.
The large Insect Hotel contains 40 species representative of the different strata of the ecosystem. In the lower plane, at ground level, small-stemmed, aromatic species such as lavender, sage or different types of rosemary have been planted.
On the medium level, it has opted for wild roses, red lavender, blackthorns, elders and wild brambles, among other.
The plants and trees installed in Bodegas Menade come from outdoor crops with chopped roots, that is, a reinforced root system. A studied environmental restoration procedure in an area marked by progressive desertification, due to the climatic characteristics of the area and cultural practices that are not respectful of the environment.
Although the largest Menade Pollination Garden is located close to the winery's facilities in Rueda, there are also other small hotels in the different parcels of the estate.
The creation of these micro-ecosystems, suppose a Habitat for insects and birds that predator other insects, harmful to bunches. That is to say, the floral species will become 'hiding places', improve environmental richness and allow a balance between flora and fauna.
A studied environmental restoration procedure in an area marked by progressive desertification, due to climatic characteristics and cultural practices that are not respectful of the environment.
MENADE FARM
Menade is full of life, we want to contribute to our environment what one day man took from it.
Every morning they are greeted by a couple of zamorana breed donkeys, in danger of extinction, called Zamo and Rana. Two precious long-haired donkeys, which bring a lot of joy and help them keep the small ecosystem we are creating even more alive, attract insects and we can take advantage of their organic fertilizer.
the companions of stay of the donkeys are chickens and geese, part of the Menade Farm that will continue to grow to promote a habitat in which fauna and flora live in harmony. A life cycle.
DO RUEDA
The Rueda Denomination of Origin was recognized on the January 12, 1980 by order of the Ministry of Agriculture, being the first Denomination of Origin recognized in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León, after several years working for the recognition and protection of its native variety: the Verdejo.
"The area covered by the DO Rueda is specialized in the production of white wines."
The Denomination of Origin Rueda has some very favorable natural resources for the production of high quality wines, being an area specialized in the elaboration of white wines, of wide international recognition. Likewise, since August 5, 2008, red and rosé wines are covered by the Rueda Designation of Origin.
The production area covered by the DO Rueda is located in the Community of Castilla y León and is integrated by 74 municipalities, of which 53 are located to the south of the province of Valladolid, 17 to the west of Segovia and 4 to the north of Ávila.
The different cultivated grape varieties are distributed irregularly throughout the different municipalities that make up the DO Rueda. However, the vineyard reaches its highest concentration and intensity in the municipalities of La Seca, Rueda and Serrada. It is the vineyard of the Verdejo variety that occupies the largest area.
The Verdejo grape has lived for more than ten centuries in the Denomination of Origin Rueda. The genius of him is determined by his aroma and flavor, with nuances of scrubland grass, with fruity touches and excellent acidity.
The extract, the personality factor of great white wines, is perceptible due to its volume and its characteristic bitter touch that projects a flash of originality in the mouth, accompanied by a great fruity expression.
They are wines of great harmony, whose memory after passing through the mouth invites you to continue with the tasting.
Continental weather
The DO Rueda rises between 700 and 870 meters above sea level, with flat but high lands, which endure cold and very long winters, short springs with late frosts and hot and dry summers, only altered by inopportune storms. This factor forces the vines to look for their water resources in the depths of the subsoil, more than in other areas of Europe.
Brown soils, rich in calcium and magnesium, easy to till and stony with good aeration and drainage and limestone outcrops at the highest levels of the undulations. Permeable and sound, their texture varies from sandy to silty.
The pH. of its lands fluctuates between 7 and 8. This geological substratum has evolved on the surface towards brown soils on stony allochthonous deposits, giving rise to the typical “gravy” soils where the best DO Rueda vineyards are located.
Varieties white grapes
The DO Rueda is one of the few European wine regions specialized in the production of white wine and in the protection and development of its autochthonous variety, the Verdejo
The strong personality of the Verdejo (main variety), the adhesion of other varieties, as well as a vineyard that has learned to survive the harshness of its environment, almost hostile, to give the best of itself to the wine, make up the profile of Rueda white wines.
The varieties have been appearing throughout the history of the DO Rueda. In the 30 years, the variety begins to be planted in the area Fine Palomino, origin of fortified flor wines, with a higher yield than other varieties and capable of producing wines similar to those of Jerez, highly demanded at that time. Thus, it became the majority variety in the Medina region at that time (the CRDO Rueda does not allow new plantings of this variety). It is a variety that produces light wines with low acidity, very suitable for making wines with biological aging.
Variety Viura, with its reputation from La Rioja, began to cultivate in the 50s, a time when the classic white model passed through the wooden barrel. This variety gave the aristocratic touch of Castilian table wine, since those were times in which the virtues of the Verdejo were yet to be discovered and it was cultivated at the same time, at the extremes of generous and popular. It is used in white wines providing greater lightness and a point of acidity.
La Sauvignon Blanc (main variety) made an appearance in the years 70. Originally from the French Loire, it adds a floral component with aromas of grapefruit and passion fruit, compared to the flint touch of the Sauvignon del Loire, differences mainly due to the greater number of hours of sun when compared to the Loire and Bordeaux. However, they have in common the short vegetative period, which in the French zone is due to the northern latitude and in the Castilian zone to the altitude. The DO Rueda is a pioneer in the adoption of this French variety, which gives this region a modern and international character.
La Viognier, authorized in 2019, It is a variety that provides aromas of stone fruit and honey with hints of muscatel.
La Chardonnays, authorized in 2019, It is a variety with a medium-low aromatic intensity that provides the wine with notes of ripe fruit and which, over time, can express aromas of butter and walnuts.
Israel Romero -
Enthusiasm just with a simple Mediterranean tapa.