💃SPANISH STUNNERS 💃

Hey, Fionn at your service this Thursday! Exciting times here at Natty Boy HQ. Ken’s looks to be right on the horizon. This is excellent news because with so much good booze it would have been pretty unfair for us to not open a new site for you to enjoy and this time with seriously good food. Older and rare things have been squirrelled away for the cellar. Im excited. You’ll be seeing me there on opening night.

Anyway, this week I thought I’d chat about one of my favourite producers seeing as we've just had a little restock from them. Fedello do Coutos have been producing some absolute bangin’ wines for quite some time now right in the heart of Galicia. I think Riberia Sacra is such an underrated wine region. Vines on silly steep slopes are cooled down by the Atlantic breeze which ensures there is plenty of freshness, no easy feat with the ever-warming planet we find ourselves on. Hand harvesting is the only option on these sheer slopes and the farming is organic too. In the cellar, they opt to use native yeasts and prefer to ferment at cool temperatures for more gentle extractions. Sulphur is used sparingly and this all leads to wines that scream of where they’re from. Unmistakably Galician, Unmistakably delicious.

First up we’ve got As Xaras. In my mind, this is probably about as good value as you will find on Natty Boy. Whole bunches of Mencia see a rather gentle extraction over the course of two months before taking a year-long nap in old oak. Emerging from its short but sweet slumber is a crunchy strawberry-fruited wine with pretty aromatics and a hearty crack of pepper thrown in for good measure. This is a real people pleaser, yet to find someone who doesn't like it. Fire up the BBQ. Show old faithful some love.

Moving on to something rather special indeed. Originally intrigued by the name, I have since come back to this wine time and time again and have yet to be disappointed. Bastarda is what the Portuguese call Trousseau. The Spanish call it Merenzao. No one really knows how or why it ended up in Spain and Portugal but aren’t we all much better for it? I certainly couldn’t care how it got there, I’m just thankful it did. Light as a feather, give this a suitable chill and watch that bottle get deleted in record time. Racy and lifted with plenty of sour cherries, add some subtle spice to the mix and we’ve now got something which is as complex as it is drinkable. If you’re into Jura, if you’re into Burgundy or if you’re just into good wine then you’ll be into this. Seriously, do yourself a favour and grab a few.

Last up we’ve got a crackin' white. Conasbrancas is a moreish field blend of a handful of the native varieties that these guys champion. Dona Blanca, Godello, Albariño, Treixadura, Lado, and Torrontes for those of you interested. As per this part of Spain with its coastal influence, we’ve got a lot of salinity here. Mouth-watering. Slight skin contact lends itself to a pithy texture and there is plenty of spice and citrus on the palate. Electric acid as well. This is one for you Chenin addicts.

Hopefully, these Spanish wines put a spring in your step. They've certainly put me in a good mood. Anyway, got boxes to unpack and good wine to find. I’ll see you all at the opening night of KENS ;)

Fionn

xoxoxo