Red wine

By grape or by region

If you already know the grape you are after, Mencía, Bobal, Tempranillo, Garnacha, Merlot and the Galician varieties Sousón, Caiño, Merenzao and Brancellao each have a page of their own. By region, go through the Ribeira Sacra, Bierzo, Utiel-Requena, Ribera del Duero, Piedmont or Ventoux & Luberon.

Mencía from the Sil and from Bierzo

Pedro Rodríguez of Guímaro in Sober ferments his Mencía 2023 in steel, about a fifth of it as whole bunches, then keeps it in tank for six months, without oak, at 12.5 percent. At Algueira in Doade, Pizarra 2017 starts as whole bunches crushed underfoot, then ferments in large French oak, 2,000 and 5,000 litres.

In Bierzo, José Mas makes a single wine in Villafranca del Bierzo, Massuria. His oldest Mencía vines date from 1912, the youngest from 1970. We keep his vintages going back to 2007.

Bobal from Requena

On the limestone around Casas de Eufemia, Héctor Benavente farms the vines of Viña de Eufemia along permaculture lines. In his Noria Tinto 2025, four parts Bobal from old vines meet one part Merlot, followed by six months in wood. Verónica Romero makes her Bala Roja 2024 from bush vines aged 50 to 90 years and bottles it unfiltered, with no added sulphites.

From the Roero, Valais and Ventoux

Fabrizio Battaglino grows the Nebbiolo d'Alba Paradi' 2023 on coarse sand in Vezza d'Alba and gives it twelve months in barrique. In Savièse above Sion, Oscar Hauser and Thomas Carl ferment their Pinot Noir 2024 with wild yeast, leave it three weeks on the skins and add sulphur once, at bottling. From Domaine de la Coquillade above Gargas comes the Coquillade Rouge 2023, 52 percent Grenache and 48 percent Syrah.

Which red with which dish

Serve Mencía at 14 to 16 degrees, as Guímaro recommends. It goes with lamb, mushrooms and pasta in tomato sauce, and with tomato sauce we would always open a Mencía rather than a Bobal. Bobal such as Pago de Tharsys's Alegría wants 16 to 18 degrees and belongs with braised meat, bean stews or ratatouille. Take the Roero Nebbiolo to ragù, tagliata and mushroom dishes, and Battaglino's Roero Colla, at 18 degrees, to game.