This wine comes from the granite highlands of Portugal’s Dão region. The vineyards lie mainly around Serra da Estrela, where ancient mixed plantings survive on poor granitic soils at elevations reaching 700 metres. Warm days and cool nights preserve acidity, giving the wines their characteristic tension and mineral clarity.
Although raised in Paris, António Madeira returned to his family’s Portuguese roots with a vision of restoring abandoned old vineyards and reviving the traditional identity of the Dão. He has since become one of the region’s most respected growers, working organically and focusing on indigenous grape varieties and historic field blends.
A Liberdade Branco 2021 is sourced from old vineyards planted mainly with native grapes such as encruzado, bical, fernão pires and cerceal. The grapes are harvested by hand and fermented with indigenous yeasts. Vinification is deliberately gentle, with ageing carried out partly in older oak barrels and partly in stainless steel in order to preserve both texture and freshness. The wine is bottled with minimal intervention and restrained use of sulphur.
A Liberdade 2021(A. Madeira)
In the glass, a pale golden colour with light green reflections. The nose combines citrus peel, white peach, fennel, wild herbs and wet granite, along with evident lees ageing. Full on the palate, taut and energetic, balancing subtle texture with vibrant acidity and a distinctly saline mineral finish. A great wine.
From the steep volcanic slopes of northern Tenerife, La Santa de Úrsula 2022 by Envínate captures the wild Atlantic character of the Canary Islands. The wine comes from Tacoronte-Acentejo, one of Tenerife’s oldest appellations, where centenarian pie franco vines cling to sandy clay soils over red basalt, cooled by ocean winds and shaped by dramatic elevations.
Envínate — founded by four friends after studying oenology in Alicante — has become one of the defining voices of contemporary Spanish wine. Their philosophy is simple: let each parcel speak clearly through old vineyards, organic farming and minimal intervention. La Santa de Úrsula is made mainly from listán negro and negramoll, with a tiny touch of listán blanco. Each parcel is fermented separately using varying proportions of whole bunches, destemmed fruit and semi-carbonic maceration, all with indigenous yeasts. Ageing takes place for around eight months in old French barrels, and the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulphur.
La Santa de Úrsula 2022(Envínate)
In the glass, a translucent ruby colour with violet reflections. The nose offers wild strawberry, sour cherry, rose petals, dried herbs and volcanic smoke. On the palate, it is fresh, savoury and finely textured, with juicy red fruit, silky tannins, vibrant acidity and a salty mineral edge that lingers beautifully on the finish. A wine of energy, perfume and Atlantic tension.
This wine was served blind as a bonus wine in a Bordeaux tasting.
It comes from the limestone and clay-limestone slopes of the eastern Loire. Sancerre’s cool climate and mineral soils give pinot a brightness and tension that feel distinctly Loire.
Produced by the historic family estate Domaine Paul Prieur et Fils, now run by Luc Prieur, this wine comes from the lower part of the lieu-dit Les Pichons, planted on clay-limestone soils. The Prieur family has been making wine in Sancerre for eleven generations and remains one of the classic names of Verdigny.
The wine is made with around 20–40% whole clusters, fermented with indigenous yeasts and without sulphur before fermentation. The wine is aged for 15 months, mostly in older 228-litre barrels with a portion matured in amphora, and bottled unfiltered. The result is a pinot noir with both purity and texture rather than overt oak influence.
Grains de Pinot 2023(Dom. Paul Prieur)
Pale ruby colour. Aroma of red cherry, raspberry and cranberry, alongside floral notes, gentle spice and a faint earthy smokiness. On the palate, it is light to medium-bodied, fresh and finely structured, with silky tannins, lively acidity and a mineral edge carrying the finish. Elegant, savoury and quite persistent.
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.
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.
The maker of this wine is José María Vicente, a central figure in the evolution of Jumilla. Trained in Bordeaux, yet firmly anchored in his own vineyards, he has over the years steered Casa Castillo towards a clearer articulation of site.
La Tendida is a paraje wine, sourced from a defined parcel within the estate. At altitude, on limestone soils, monastrell takes on a different register: less breadth, more definition, with a finer tannic grain.
Vinification follows the same logic. Fermentation is gentle, with some whole clusters, and ageing takes place in large, neutral vessels. Oak is not a flavouring agent here, but a framework.
The bottle was bought at the gourmet shop Sabor y Tradición and enjoyed at the terrace in Murcia.
La Tendida 2023(Casa Castillo)
Bright ruby colour. The nose leans towards red fruit – redcurrant, wild strawberry – with dried herbs and a light floral note. The palate is focused and finely structured. Tannins are chalky and well integrated, acidity brings lift, and the finish is long, marked by a subtle mineral edge.
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.
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.
More highlights from my tastings at Simplesmente Vinho.
From Castilla y León, Malaparte (Elisa de Frutos and Rubén Salamanca) presented their distinctive OX Blanc 2023. This blend is fermented with indigenous yeasts and then aged outdoors in large glass demijohns, where a layer of flor develops. Deep golden in colour, it offers aromas of dried flowers, preserved citrus and nuts. On the palate it is rich and structured, with a lightly oxidative character reminiscent of biologically aged wines, yet balanced by a core of freshness and a long, savoury finish.
The step from that wine to the next seemed short. Barco del Corneta was represented by Félix Crespo, who presented their line of fabulous, textural verdejos (and some reds). Among them was Las Envidias 2022, a wine made from palomino and aged in botas de Jerez. Pale in colour with a light yellow tint, the wine showed aromas of mature apple and citrus peel, with a subtle yeasty note from the ageing. On the palate it was dry and savoury, with good freshness and a lightly oxidative tone. The finish carried a delicate saline touch that added character and length.
J. Palacios of Corullón in Bierzo was also present. Ricardo Pérez Palacios had brought his stunning parcel wines, all the way up to the legendary La Faraona. “I wanted to make a good impression,” Ricardo smiled – which he certainly did. Here I chose Moncerbal 2023. Cherry red in colour, it opens with a perfumed nose of flowers, wild herbs and both red and darker berries. On the palate the wine shows impressive precision, with fresh fruit and a firm but finely grained tannin structure. It is surprisingly approachable already, though a hint of oak appears in the aftertaste, suggesting that the wine will continue to develop gracefully for many years.
From Arribes, El Hato y el Garabato, represented here by Liliana Fernández, showed their range. I did not taste all the wines, but Otro Cuento 2022, predominantly doña blanca fermented and aged in foudre, was fabulous. Pale in colour, the wine offers aromas of apple and citrus with a faint herbal touch. On the palate it is light and fresh, with a rounded texture, lively acidity and a subtle hint of oak that adds depth without dominating.
Alfredo Maestro is a classic presence at Simplesmente, with his vibrant natural wines from across Castilla y León. Here I chose a personal favourite, El Marciano 2023, a garnacha from Sierra de Gredos. Bright red in colour, the wine shows aromas of fresh red berries with a hint of wild herbs. On the palate it is juicy and lively, with fine tannins and refreshing acidity that give the wine both energy and drinkability.
Daniel Ramos is likewise always a delight to meet – and to taste his aged natural wines from Gredos. This time I chose a younger wine, Zerberos CariNena 2023, made from cariñena as the name suggests. The colour leans toward red with a slight orange tint and the wine is a bit turbid in the glass. Aromas move between red and darker berries with a faint volatile lift that adds complexity. On the palate it is vibrant and expressive, balancing fruit, acidity and a lightly rustic edge.
This wine marked the end of my tastings. Thank you to the organisers – the Roseira family – and see you next year.
Sébastien Riffault is one of the most singular voices in Sancerre. Working organically and biodynamically, he has long challenged the region’s conventions. His philosophy centres on waiting: later harvesting, full physiological ripeness, and minimal intervention in the cellar. The aim is to allow the site to speak.
Akmèniné, a name drawn from Lithuanian, means something akin to “stony”. It refers to the limestone-rich soils of Sancerre, in the language of Riffault’s wife. Picked later than is customary in Sancerre, the 2020 reveals a broader, more textural expression of sauvignon blanc.
Akmèniné 2020(Sébastien Riffault)
Deep straw yellow, towards golden, slightly turbid. Aroma of citrus peel, ripe orchard fruit and a gentle hint of herbs, underpinned by a chalky, mineral edge. On the palate, there is both breadth and tension — a subtle ripeness balanced by freshness, with a saline, finely grained finish.
