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Month: September 2026

Wine of the Week

Splendid sparkler from Conca del Riu Anoia

Published 25. September 2026 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Few Spanish sparkling wines have achieved the individuality and distinction of Mas del Serral, the remarkable creation of Pepe Raventós.

In 2012, Raventós i Blanc left DO Cava and introduced Conca del Riu Anoia, a geographical designation rooted in the historic winegrowing landscape of Penedès. Situated between Montserrat and the Mediterranean coastal ranges, the area is characterised by calcareous soils, a Mediterranean climate and a long tradition of cultivating indigenous grape varieties. The project reflects a conviction that great sparkling wines should express the particular character of their origins.

Mas del Serral comes from Clos del Serral, a 1.92-hectare vineyard planted in 1954 with xarel·lo and the rare red variety bastard negre. Its limestone soils contain marine fossils, reminders of the sea that once covered this landscape. Pepe Raventós, the 21st generation of his family to cultivate these lands, has made this vineyard the centrepiece of his most ambitious project. Biodynamic farming, horse cultivation and meticulous attention to the vines form the foundation of the wine.

The grapes are harvested by hand and carefully selected. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts, followed by maturation and a second fermentation in bottle. Extended ageing on the lees, approximately 100 months, gives the wine its extraordinary depth and complexity. The 2015 vintage experienced a dry, warm growing season, with more moderate temperatures towards harvest helping to preserve acidity and aromatic precision.

The wine was kindly offered by the producer at a vsit last Tuesday.

Más del Serral 2015 (Raventós i Blanc)

Deep golden yellow with subtle amber reflections and a delicate, persistent stream of fine bubbles. The nose is beautifully developed, offering baked apple, quince, preserved lemon and dried apricot, followed by toasted almonds, brioche, beeswax and Mediterranean herbs. There are hints of smoke and a gentle savoury character that has emerged with age. On the palate, the wine is rich and finely textured, with a creamy mousse, lively acidity and a pronounced chalky, saline quality. The fruit has over the years acquired a mellow, almost honeyed dimension, while the underlying freshness remains remarkably intact. Long finish, with lingering notes of citrus peel, roasted nuts and a delicate mineral bitterness. A splendid sparkler from Catalunya.

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Wine of the Week

Great German chardonnay

Published 18. September 2026 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Chardonnay may not be the first grape that comes to mind when thinking of the Pfalz, but Ökonomierat Rebholz has been working seriously with the variety for decades. The estate is based in Siebeldingen in the southern Pfalz, an area where limestone plays an important role alongside the region’s better-known sandstone soils. Rebholz planted chardonnay as early as 1988, before the variety was officially authorised in Germany, and today it is an established part of the estate’s identity.

Hansjörg Rebholz has been one of the important figures behind the estate’s modern reputation, pursuing dry, precise wines rather than the richer, softer style historically associated with parts of the Pfalz. The vineyards are farmed organically and biodynamically, and the next generation, his sons Hans and Valentin, has become increasingly involved in the winemaking.

The R Chardonnay 2022 comes from chardonnay grown on limestone soils. The grapes are hand harvested, with part of the fruit whole-bunch pressed and another part given some skin contact. Fermentation and maturation take place in small barrels, but the emphasis is on texture and expression of the fruit and site rather than overt oak character. The wine spends a year on its gross lees, followed by a further period on fine lees.

Hansjörg Rebholz ‘R’ Chardonnay 2022 (Ökonomierat Rebholz)

Light golden yellow. Quite restrained at first, gradually opening to yellow apple, pear and citrus, with subtle herbal, nutty and yeasty nuances. The palate has good concentration and a gently creamy texture, but remains taut and precise, driven by fresh acidity and a distinctly saline, mineral character. There is an attractive interplay between ripe fruit, lees-derived texture and freshness, leading to a long, dry and savoury finish. Still youthful, with plenty of scope for further development.

Price: High

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Wine of the Week

Brilliant Bairrada

Published 11. September 2026 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Bairrada is one of Portugal’s great regions for wines built on freshness, structure and longevity. Its Atlantic-influenced climate, combined with the region’s characteristic clay-limestone soils, provides particularly favourable conditions for baga – a grape capable of producing intensely structured wines, but also wines of remarkable finesse when handled with restraint.

Vadio is the small family project of winemaker Luís Patrão and Eduarda Dias, based around Vale D. Pedro near Poutena. The project grew from a tiny family vineyard and a desire to explore a more precise, less extracted expression of Bairrada and its traditional varieties. Today their work is centred on sustainable farming, soil regeneration and a close attention to individual vineyard parcels.

Grande Vadio is their more concentrated expression of baga. The 2021 is 100% baga, coming from old vines and selected hillside parcels; Vadio describes Grande Vadio as originating from three south-facing hillside plots, where the exposure gives greater depth, structure and complexity.

Vinification remains deliberately gentle. The individual parcels are fermented in small vessels with indigenous yeasts, with manual pump-overs and restrained extraction. After pressing, the wine goes into used 500-litre barrels for malolactic fermentation and ageing. No new-oak gloss is sought here: the emphasis is on fruit definition, texture and the naturally firm but increasingly refined structure of baga.

Grande Vadio 2021 (Vadio Wines)

In the glass, deep ruby red with a slightly lighter crimson rim. The nose gradually opens with black cherry, blackberry and wild red berries, followed by dried herbs, liquorice, a balsamic lift, subtle spice and hints of leather and earth. Quite concentrated on the palate, yet never heavy: firm, fine-grained tannins are carried by baga’s vivid acidity, with dark and red fruit, savoury notes and a restrained touch of oak. Long, dry and persistent, with an attractive tension between power and elegance. Already expressive, but clearly built to develop further in bottle.

Price: Medium

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Wine of the Week

Albillo with a twist

Published 4. September 2026 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Las Pedreras is one of the most exciting of the relatively new projects to emerge from the mountains of Gredos. Based in Villanueva de Ávila, in the Alto Alberche valley, it was founded in 2020 by winemaker Bárbara Requejo Frutos and Guzmán Sánchez de la Parra. Sánchez de la Parra is a native of the village and comes from a family with roots in local viticulture.

The landscape here is unmistakably Gredos: old bush vines, decomposed granite and considerable altitude, producing wines in which mountain freshness often counterbalances the warmth of central Spain.

Linarejos 2024 is based on albillo real from very old vines. The grapes are harvested by hand and given three days of skin contact before gentle pressing. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts, followed by seven months in used 225-litre oak barrels.

Then comes the unusual twist. A small proportion of mature Manzanilla from Sanlúcar de Barrameda is blended into the finished wine – around 7% in the 2024 vintage. The idea is not to turn it into something resembling sherry, but to give the naturally broad and generous albillo real greater tension, dryness and length. The 2024 contains fruit from both Villanueva de Ávila and San Martín de Valdeiglesias.

Linarejos 2024 (Las Pedreras)

Slightly cloudy yellow with golden hints. The nose is complex and distinctive, with yellow fruit, dried herbs, pollen and spice, followed by a subtle saline, nutty Manzanilla character. Broad enough to reveal the generosity of albillo real, yet surprisingly fine-boned on the palate, with savoury spice, freshness and a chalky, almost salty sensation. Dry, energetic and persistent, with the Manzanilla becoming most apparent in the long, gently oxidative finish.

Price: Medium

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