Spain

Laya is a banging Spanish red made from a blend of heat loving Garnacha Tintorera and Monastrell, both of which thrive in the dry arid climate of Spain and in this wine their big bold flavours are well balanced by being grown on vineyards at altitude. This wine is made from grapes grown at 700 to 1000 metres above sea level on limestone soils; two factors that encourage great quality grapes, which express themselves in high quality wines, thanks to the closer than usual proximity to the sun and the cool nights, which stretch out the growing season and provides refreshing acidity to the grapes.

Oak maturation was brief, which soften this wine, adding complexity.

Xarel-Lo is famously used in the production of cava along with a few others - but here it is made as a varietal wine from vines planted in 1974 in the high altitude of Pendes.

Fermentation was in stainless steel tanks with fine lees contact for three weeks to retain the fruity freshness and add texture.

The result is a youthful and vibrantly fruited wine with sweet herbal scents and fresh green fennel.

This tasty pink sparkling Spanish wine comes from Bodegas Alta Alella, which uses the Matar? grape in this wine. This is grown organically, hand harvested and aged for 15 months on lees following the second fermentation. That's the same time frame as the majority of champagnes but this lovely dry sparkling wine comes to us all at a mere fraction of the price. It has zero dosage so it's bone dry in taste and is bursting with delicious flavours, a medium body, refreshing style and a long finish. 

Pares Balta has made a name for itself on our market thanks to its accessible bubblies of great purity. Working with the Xarel-lo grape variety in maceration for this cuvee, the estate offers a remarkably fragrant orange wine whose profile will appeal to both fans of the genre and anybody curious about the style. Great choice to mix things up as an aperitif or to bring a new twist to a Thai dinner.

If you're a fan of dry white wine, try this sensational Spanish white from Telmo Rodriguez, one of the country's most revered winemakers for his role in reviving indigenous grapes and giving them a new lease of life with modern winemaking methods. 

This is 80% Verdejo and 20% Viura with dry, crisp, delicious flavours of ripe lemons and oatmeal notes. It's made from organically grown bush vines from vines at 750 metres altitude in Rueda, 90 minutes' drive north west of Madrid, on the fringe of Toro DO. The climate here is continental with hot summers,  cold winters and extreme temperature fluctuations. Rueda is a white wine only appellation and all grapes in this wine were hand picked into small baskets, then cool fermented in stainless steel with no additions - it's natural, but without the marketing noise - aside from a small touch of sulphur at bottling. 

Basa is a not-so-fruity Rueda Verdejo with the Viura in the blend to add zest and length to the wine. 

A gorgeous dry white - a must try.

This gorgeous smooth fruity red puts Spain's best foot forward every year with its spicy aromas and ripe smooth fruit flavours. 

Now owned by the renowned sherry producer Gonzalez Byass, Bodegas Beronia was created in 1973 by a wine and food club and is now considered a benchmark Rioja house.

A deep picota cherry red colour with a garnet edge, this wine is clean and bright. It is complex on the nose, with aromas of cherry and raspberry standing out, complemented by herbal notes - rosemary and thyme - and hints of cinnamon and tobacco. Very fresh and tantalising on the palate, this wine displays a plethora of flavours, the most prominent of which are the confected notes of vanilla and chocolate.

Bodegas Casa Castillo is located on the plateau of Jumilla where its 174 hectare vineyard enjoys a high altitude and the cooling influence of the Mediterranean. Lovers of Bandol reds will enjoy this lovely smooth, full bodied red from Casa Castillo, a blend of Monastrell 60%, Garnacha 20% and Syrah 20%. 

It's made from old bush vines which provide very small amounts of highly concentrated juice. Modern winemaking with cold macerations retains freshness and new French oak provides structure. The wines are generally bottled unfiltered to allow them to be as expressive as possible and they are a bargain for the quality produced.

The Tempranillo (78%) comes from 30-year-old vines in our Cuesta (Cenicero) and Montecillo (Fuenmayor) vineyards. The Garnacha (22%) comes from La Pedriza vineyard in Tudelilla (Rioja Oriental). This 70 hectare property offers unbeatable conditions for growing this variety. Its nutrient-poor soil, covered with boulders, results in great varietal typicity, rich in aromas, with a pleasant, elegant structure. We started picking these plots in mid-October. 

The grapes were harvested manually and transported to the winery in refrigerated vehicles. Alcoholic fermentation took place spontaneously. Malolactic fermentation concluded at the end of the year. In March 2013, the selected wines were put in barrels to start ageing separately: the Tempranillo for 36 months with six manual rackings, in American oak barrels averaging 4 years in age and the Garnacha for 30 months with five manual rackings, in barrels with two and three wines. The final blend was bottled in March 2016.

Outstandingly bright, lively and intense garnet red, with an incipient cherry red rim. The first nose is very intense, with spicy, balsamic and ripe fruit notes. After swirling, aromas of black pepper, sweet liquorice, nutmeg, coffee, vanilla and cinnamon make their appearance. Mouth full of flavours, with a pleasant acidity and balance, and very polished tannins that enhance the harmonious structure. Complex and elegant aftertaste with spicy and balsamic hints. 

To enjoy right now, but with a long life ahead.

Made from 100% Tempranillo fruit aged for 36 months in American oak and held for five years before release and now with some decent age under its belt - what's not to like. Bold and powerful with spicy fruit and mellow tannins Rioja Reservas really are a law unto themselves and given half a chance the oak just melts into the aged tertiary flavours harmoniously.

100% Chardonnay from the Catalonian region of Penedes in Spain, sandwiched between the Mediterranean and the local coastal mountains not far from Barcelona. The region is famed for its Cava production but here we see new wave wine makers Cellers Avgvstvs Forvm working with a Chardonnay and showing how modern Spanish winemaking is evolving.

Aged in French Nevers oak for 4 month and offering plenty of tropical and citrus fruit flavours and aromas.

Premium Cava made from carefully selected organic Xarel·lo, Macabeu, Parellada, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, which are then worked manually to achieve the best result.

In the glass this is a lively and bright cava with balanced aromas of white fruit, citrus and green almonds. 

Mara Mart?n Exceptional white wine born in the heart of Monterrei. The essence of inland Galicia runs through its veins: freshness and serenity. Mara takes you by the hand to a brilliant autumn. Mara participates in the recovery of the Wall of Medeiros, a unique Iron Age fortification surrounded by ancient cave presses. An ancestral wine landscape that little by little will reveal its secrets. Mara was born in the heart of Monterrei. The essence of interior Galicia runs through her veins: freshness and serenity. Mara leads you by the hand to brilliant autumn.

Env?nate translates to 'wine yourself' and is the brainchild of four winemaking friends, Roberto Santana, Alfonso Torrente, Laura Ramos and Jos? Mart?nez.  

This fleshy, funky, dry white is made from 100% List?n Blanco grapes, grown on 70 to 110 year old vines grown between 900 and 1200 metres of elevation in Tenerife. The viticulture is highly traditional with the vines growing untrained, the soils is worked by hand and no chemicals used. 

Grapes were all hand harvested, destemmed and rested on their skins for 12 to 24 hours then pressed and fermented with native yeasts in concrete vessels. After fermentation, the wine rested on its lees in a mix of used French oak vessels (30%) and two concrete tanks (70%). One of the concrete tanks developed a veil of flor (~30% of the wine aged under flor), and all of the wine underwent spontaneous malolactic fermentation. 

Unfined and unfiltered. 

About Envinate

Envinate was formed when the four winemaking friends, above, graduated in 2005 from studying enology at the University of Miguel Hernandez in Alicante, they formed a winemaking consultancy, which has grown into Env?nate, their project that focuses on exploring distinctive vineyard parcels in the Atlantic regions of Ribeira Sacra and the Canary Islands.