Doña Blanca / Mencia
Une Rose de Blancs 2023
La Senda

Grape Variety: Doña Blanca, Palomino and a hint of Mencia!

Producer: Bodega La Senda (Diego Losada)

Region: El Bierzo, Castile y Leon, Spain

Wild Scale: 4/5

Vegan friendly wine

Winemaking: White grapes were hand harvested and fermented with indigenous yeast. The juice was put into a barrel that previously had red Mencia grapes in and had not been cleaned. This imparts extra colour, texture and flavour. Fermentation with indigenous yeast. Bottled with no filtration, fining or added sulphur.

This Wine: Originally this wine was somewhat of a happy accident. Back in 2019, winemaker Diego had miscalculated his barrel availability after harvesting his white grapes, so quickly had to empty one that contained red Mencía grapes to make room for the white Doña Blanca. However, the Mencía had already made its mark and the stained barrel ended up imparting plenty of colour and flavour into the white juice resulting in a rosé, hence "Une Rose de Blancs". Despite the fact there's no actual red juice, this wine drinks somewhere between a light red and a rosé. The 2023 is the best vintage yet in our opinion and showcases juicy red fruit along side minerals and a lovely touch of sichuan pepper. Drink chilled.

Notes on the Winemaker: Diego Losada is very much an outsider in his hometown of Ponferrada in the North of Spain and this was the case even before winemaking. Now he creates wines that stand out amongst the crowd in Bierzo with authentic and true reflections of the region. We have visited him a couple of times to see his vineyards and help him in the winery, always to the soundtrack of Metallica!