Tag: natural wine

Rosé with real drive

Published 7. August 2026 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Penedès may be best known for sparkling wine, but away from the larger cava houses there is another side to the region: old vineyards, local varieties and a growing generation of growers looking back to traditional Catalan farming and winemaking.

Celler La Salada is the personal project of Toni Carbó and Anna Serra, based around the family vineyards near El Pla del Penedès. Toni, also one of the founders of Mas Candí, started La Salada in 2012, working with vineyards that have been in his family for generations and have never been subjected to intensive chemical farming. Today the approach is organic and biodynamic, with minimal intervention in the cellar and no additions, including sulphur.

Roig Boig – roughly “crazy red” in Catalan – is certainly an unconventional rosé. The 2021 is a field blend bringing together red and white Catalan varieties, including sumoll, roigenc, mandó, cannonau, mònica, torbat, parellada and xarel·lo. The grapes are harvested by hand and the wine is spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered, without added sulphur – very much in keeping with La Salada’s philosophy of allowing vineyard and fruit to speak with as little cellar manipulation as possible.

Roig Boig 2021 (Celler La Salada)

In the glass it is a striking, slightly hazy pale pink with touches of salmon and orange. The nose is immediately lively: wild strawberry, cranberry and redcurrant, followed by citrus peel, dried Mediterranean herbs, wild flowers and a faintly earthy, stony note. On the palate it is light and wonderfully energetic, with tart red berries, pink grapefruit and a distinctly mineral edge. Bright acidity gives it real drive, while a gentle phenolic grip adds texture. Bone-dry, fresh and slightly wild, with a savoury, herbal finish that makes the next sip almost inevitable.

Price: Medium

Leave a Comment

Wine of the Week

Yecla ancestral

Published 24. July 2026 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

From the limestone vineyards of Yecla in Murcia comes Ancestral Bizarría 2024, a sparkling expression of malvasía that combines Mediterranean warmth with remarkable freshness. Grown at around 650 metres above sea level, the vineyards benefit from warm, dry days and cool nights, helping the grapes retain both acidity and aromatic complexity.

Bizarría Wines is the personal project of Vicente Ovejero, dedicated to reviving indigenous varieties and producing wines with minimal intervention. The vineyards are farmed organically, the grapes are harvested by hand, and fermentation takes place spontaneously with native yeasts. Every decision in the cellar is aimed at preserving the vineyard’s natural character.

Produced using the ancestral method, the wine undergoes a single spontaneous fermentation that finishes in bottle, creating its fine, natural mousse. Extended ageing on the lees, together with careful handling of the fruit, gives the wine its layered texture and distinctive golden colour with amber highlights, while remaining completely dry with no dosage.

Enjoyed at La Gracia natural wine bar in Murcia.

Ancestral Bizarría 2024 (Bizarría Wines)

Deep golden with glowing amber reflections and a delicate, persistent mousse. The nose opens with ripe orchard fruit, preserved lemon, Mediterranean herbs, dried flowers and freshly baked bread, underpinned by subtle notes of almonds and honeycomb. The palate is bone dry yet generous, combining creamy texture with vibrant acidity and a marked saline minerality. A gentle phenolic grip carries through to a long, complex and gastronomic finish.

Price: Medium

Leave a Comment

Wine of the Week

Magnificent monastrell

Published 17. July 2026 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

There is another side to Jumilla. Beyond the powerful, sun-drenched reds lies a new generation of winemakers searching for freshness, elegance and a more transparent expression of monastrell. Camaleónica 2022 by Doble de Pérez is a perfect example of this exciting movement.

Doble de Pérez is a small family micro-winery committed to expressing place. Jennifer Pérez Pérez is in charge of the winemaking. The grapes come from 50-year-old ungrafted monastrell vines growing at around 900 metres above sea level on limestone soils in the Hoya de Santa Ana vineyard. Hand-harvested fruit is fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, without unnecessary additives. Around a quarter of the grapes undergo carbonic maceration with whole bunches, while the remainder is gently crushed and fermented separately before the wine spends six months ageing in a combination of clay amphorae and previously used 300-litre French oak barrels. It is bottled unfiltered and unfined, with only a very small addition of sulphur.

Camaleónica 2022 (Doble de Pérez)

In the glass, the wine shows a bright ruby colour with youthful purple highlights. The nose offers wild red berries, woodland herbs, strawberry, carob and delicate floral notes. The palate is vibrant and silky, combining juicy red fruit with lively acidity, fine-grained tannins and a mineral backbone that gives remarkable freshness for monastrell. Long, energetic and beautifully balanced.

Price: Medium

Leave a Comment

Wine of the Week

Pim Pam of Penedès

Published 10. July 2026 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Produced by Vinyes Singulars in the hills of Alt Penedès, Catalunya, this wine reflects a landscape that is often overshadowed by Cava but is increasingly recognised for its vibrant, terroir-driven still wines. Old vineyards, limestone and clay soils, Mediterranean sunshine tempered by cooler nights and sea breezes all contribute to the wine’s freshness and energy.

The estate is run by Ignasi Seguí, whose family has cultivated these lands since the early 15th century. Farming is organic, and the philosophy in the cellar is one of minimal intervention: indigenous yeasts, no fining or filtration, and no added sulphites. Pim Pam is a field blend of traditional local varieties including xarel·lo, macabeu, parellada, malvasia de Sitges, garnatxa blanca and sumoll blanc, creating a wine that captures both the vintage and the character of Penedès.

Pim Pam 2023 (Vinyes Singulars)

Lightly hazy with a deep golden straw colour. Salty lemon, ripe citrus, melon, Mediterranean herbs, white flowers and a subtle savoury, nutty nuance. On the palate it’s fresh yet textural, with lively acidity, citrus fruit, mineral salinity and a gentle phenolic grip. The finish is long, savoury and remarkably refreshing.

Leave a Comment

Wine of the Week

Gorgeous Georgian

Published 22. May 2026 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

This wine was offered by Tempo wine bar, Sandnes, on our national day. It comes from the valleys of Kakheti, where winemaking traditions stretch back some 8.000 years.

Pheasant’s Tears, founded by John Wurdeman and Gela Patalishvili in the hilltop town of Sighnaghi, has become one of the key ambassadors for natural and traditional Georgian qvevri wines.

Made from the indigenous kakhuri mtsvivani grape, the wine is farmed organically and fermented spontaneously before ageing in buried qvevri — the large clay vessels that define Georgia’s ancient approach to wine. The wine is unfiltered and minimally sulphured.

Kakhuri Mtsvivani 2022 (Pheasant’s Tears)

In the glass, the wine shows a light amber hue with a gentle golden shimmer. The nose opens with wild flowers, bruised apples, citrus peel and dried herbs, followed by a faint earthy savouriness from the qvevri ageing. On the palate it is textured yet vibrant, balancing orchard fruit and subtle tannins with a fresh acidity and a long, slightly salty finish. A really distinctive wine.

Price: Medium

Leave a Comment

Wine of the Week

Amber from Kakheti

Published 24. April 2026 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Made from the native Georgian grape mtsvane, this wine carries both freshness and a depth that unfolds with time in the glass.

Behind it stands Guram Maisuradze, who founded Nadelebi in 2014, building on a family tradition of winemaking that stretches back generations in Kakheti. Guram continues the work of his father, grandfather, and uncle, who were already making wine in qvevri long before “natural wine” became a global language.

The vineyards are farmed organically, and the approach in the cellar is one of restraint. Fermentation is carried out with wild yeasts, no additives, no filtration.

Mtsvane 2024 (Nadelebi)

Deep golden with amber. Aroma of green apple, wild herbs, a hint of citrus peel, and something floral beneath. On the palate, it is precise and textured. Integrated acidity, flavours of orchard fruit, quince, and a faint almond note towards a dry, savoury finish.

Price: Low

Leave a Comment

Wine of the Week

Pure Ribeira Sacra mencía

Published 17. April 2026 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

This is a wine from the steep terraces of Ribeira Sacra and what is often called “heroic viticulture”, where every vine is worked by hand along the dramatic river valleys.

Behind the wine is the project Anónimas Viticultoras, founded by Cristina Yagüe Cuevas and María Falcón. This is not a traditional estate, but a collaborative project working across Galicia with growers and small parcels. They are involved throughout, from vineyard decisions to vinification.

The approach in the cellar is deliberately low-intervention: hand-harvested grapes, gentle extraction, and fermentation with native yeasts to preserve the character of the fruit and site. Ageing is typically carried out in neutral vessels — often stainless steel or used barrels — avoiding overt oak influence and allowing the purity of mencía and the granitic and slate soils to come through clearly.

Catro e Cadela Mencía 2024 (Anónimas Viticultoras)

Bright, translucent ruby with violet rim. Crushed raspberries, wild strawberries and redcurrants, followed by rose petals, a hint of fresh herbs and a stony, slate-like note. On the palate, medium-bodied and finely etched, with lively acidity and silky tannins framing the red fruit. There is a subtle savoury edge beneath the fruit, leading to a clean, persistent finish with a gentle mineral lift.

Price: Medium

Leave a Comment

Wine of the Week

Motty of Lucy Chilvers

Published 3. April 2026 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

My best rosé, or pale red wine, at the entrance of Easter, was the super-fresh Motty from Lucy Chilvers.

Based in Penedès, Lucy farms around 4.5 hectares across small parcels at varying altitudes, on clay, limestone and sandy soils. Some of the vines are close to a century old.

The vineyards are worked organically, with touches of biodynamic practice. In the cellar, the approach is deliberately restrained: spontaneous fermentations with native yeasts, no additions, no filtration, and little or no sulphur.

This wine (mostly garnacha with a little merlot) follows this logic. Whole-bunch elements contribute tension, while the wine is bottled without filtration, preserving both texture and energy.

Motty 2023 (Lucy Chilvers)

In the glass, it is pale and translucent. The nose leans towards fresh red berries—wild strawberry, cranberry—with a faint herbal edge and a slightly untamed note from whole clusters. On the palate, it is light-bodied but far from simple: vibrant, energetic, with a driving acidity. The tannins are present yet gentle, giving just enough grip to frame the fruit. There is a subtle savoury undertone, and a sense of movement throughout—a wine that really feels alive.

Price: Low

Leave a Comment

Wine of the Week

The sixth element

Published 27. March 2026 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Sexto Elemento, that is: wine, is the life project of Rafa López and Silvia García, in Venta del Moro, Valencia.

The wine is crafted entirely without chemical additives, following an artisanal approach in both vineyard and cellar. Made from bobal, sourced from old, dry-farmed vines, the grapes are harvested by hand and handled with great care throughout. Fermentation with native yeasts is followed by ageing for 12 months in oak, integrated in a way that supports rather than dominates the wine’s expression.

The wine was served at natural wine spot La Gracia of Murcia – for me the first outdoor pour of the year.

Sexto Elemento 2023 (Sexto Elemento)

In the glass, the wine shows a bright cherry red colour, vivid and inviting. The nose is expressive and layered, combining red and dark berries with notes of dried herbs, subtle spice and a hint of cedar. On the palate, it is finely structured yet supple, with fresh acidity balancing flavours of cherry, plum and pomegranate. The finish is long, harmonious and resonant, with fruit, spice and texture in perfect harmony. Ideal for the after-skis of Easter.

Price: Low

Leave a Comment

Wine of the Week

Homemade wine at Gota

Published 20. February 2026 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Last night at Gota, the tiny bar in Madrid’s Chueca district, I was poured a glass of Bailando en el Filo 2024 by Victoria Sánchez, one half of the duo behind Pequeños y Salvajes. On an earlier visit it was Nahuel Ibarra who stood behind the bar. It seems only fitting that their wine appears in a place that shares their spirit: small, lively and a little wild.

The wine comes from El Tiemblo in the Sierra de Gredos, a landscape of old vines and granite soils that has become one of the most exciting sources of Garnacha in central Spain. It’s made by carbonic maceration.

Bailando en el Filo — “dancing on the edge” — is an apt name. The wine has that same sense of balance and risk. There is something refreshingly unforced about it, almost as if the wine were being made in the moment. It feels improvised, like music played without a written score — yet guided by instinct and intuition.

Bailando en el Filo 2024 (Pequeños y Salvajes)

Light ruby red. Bright red berries, wild herbs and a faint earthy note rise from the glass. The palate is lively and finely textured, with freshness and lightness carrying the wine effortlessly forward. Serious glou-glou.

Price: Low

Leave a Comment