Xarel Lo
Tiques 2018
Tiques - Joan Rubio

Grape Variety: Xarel Lo

Producer: Tiques (Joan Rubió)

Region: Penedès, Catalunya, Spain

Wild Scale: 2/5

Winemaking: Biodynamic Xarel Lo grapes from 70 year old vines on a single plot were harvested by hand. The grapes were put into stainless steel tanks and only free-run juice was kept. Fermentation with indigenous yeast. The wine was aged in red clay amphora vessels. No added sulphur.

This Wine: Precise and balanced biodynamic white wine. There is a wonderful complexity of restrained tropical fruit alongside a clean, crisp and mineral character. There is something reminiscent of dry Riesling. One of Joan Rubio's top cuvées, this partners perfectly with cheese or fish dishes. 

Notes on the Winemaker: Joan Rubió has a reputation as the 'master of Xarel Lo' and it is fully deserved. He spent years working for arguably the finest Cava house Recaredo before setting off on his solo adventure Tiques. He is an expert on biodynamic farming and teaches these practices to many other winemakers in the region. His wines are rich and precise and could even be mistaken for premium white Burgundy.