Envinate Ribeira Sacra Lousas Misturado 2021

More about Envinate

Envínate's story sounds like something out of a movie — four friends meet at university and band together to create gorgeous wines, respecting the local grapes and traditions of their respective hometowns, in hugely varied corners of Spain. It sounds like a lark, but these four friends are making some of the most iconic wines of the New Spain movement.

Roberto Santana, Alfonso Torrente, Laura Ramos, and José Martínez aim to craft distinctive, pure wines that loudly express their terruño, or terroir, Envínate finds inspiration in the past. They've taken up work at long-abandoned vineyards, where old vines of obscure varieties flourish, and every last grape is hand-picked and foot-trodden.

At the onset they began making wine from Tenerife in the Canary Islands. This spot, way off of the Moroccan Coast is the last place that you would think that vines would thrive but to the contrary, Tenerife has more own-rooted ancient vines than anywhere else on earth. From temperate jungle to arid and cactus strewn there is an inordinate amount of microclimates on the island. The through line to all of the regions is their soils formed by the enormous Mount Tiede, Spain's highest peak and the world's third largest volcano.

They also make Atlantic influenced wines on the mainland in Ribeira Sacra. Just like in Tenerife there are many tiny, ancient vineyards with indginious varieties. The Ribeira Sacra vineyards are often tucked away in the forest. The grapes are grown on terraces (‘bancadas’) on steep slopes on the banks of rivers, which ensures good drainage and maximal sunshine.

Alharha comes from dusty Castilla-La Machana and neighboring Manchuela. Soil here is high in limestone and lends the wines a vein of assertive acidity. This area is what most people see in their minds when they think of Spain with ancient towns often with a ruined castle close by. These wine comes specifically form Albahra (Castilian for “small sea”) is named for the vineyard area in the Almansa region close to the town of Albacete, located at the southeastern tip of Castilla-La Mancha

Many of the vineyards they work with were found with the help of village elders. They get to know the folks in the region they work with in a very deep way, learning from them tightly held winemaking traditions. They farm these plots themselves using only organic inputs, harnessing each site's incredible potential.

These four friends know that unmitigated growth undoubtedly leads to lower standards and poorer quality. Many (if not most) of their wines are produced in such minuscule quantities that they require strict allocations. In other words? The wines are hot, and they're not cooling down any time soon!