4. Jul, 2022
Wine from ´´suffocated´´grapes in Torremolinos
The Malaga Wine Guide visited wine bar Vinicious in Torremolinos in search of the wines of the small boutique bodega Malvajio, from Mijas. Unfortunately, they could no longer be ordered by the glass, which is now too expensive, says owner Enrique Revenga Gil.
On the wine list we had found another interesting option that could be ordered by the glass: a Rioja made with the traditional maceracion carbonica technique, Luberri 2018 (95% Tempranillo, 5% Viura). You don’t often come across this type of wine. With this wine making method, the grapes are not first pressed, but whole bunches of grapes are put in a fermentation tank. Due to the weight of the grapes, the grape juice (must) is pressed from the underlying grapes and normal alcoholic fermentation starts (sugar is converted into alcohol). In addition, carbon dioxide gas is released which, as it were, suffocates the higher grapes in the dry part of the tank because all the oxygen is expelled. These grapes begin to ferment inside without breaking. Each grape functions as it were like a small wine barrel. Eventually the grapes break open and the residual sugar also fermentes into alcohol in the normal way. It ensures strong preservation of especially fruit aromas and addition of aromas that do not occur during normal fermentation.
The increasing popularity of wines from the region sometimes drives up prices in such a way that the price / quality ratio is lost sight of. The argument of many wine producers is that they have to work with small productions. In a wine world with a lot of competition, that is of course not the consumer’s problem.
This method of fermentation gives these wines a completely unique young and fresh character. The wines are almost without tannins, and should be drunk young and somewhat colder than normal (12 to 14 degrees). The best known wine is the Beaujolais Nouveau (fermentation with the addition of extra carbon dioxide and not just the naturally obtained as is customary in the Rioja). The Luberri 2018 went perfectly with a nice tapa ‘Enaladilla rusa’ with fresh tuna.
The Malaga Wine Guide is always in the first place looking for wines from the region, but this time Rioja brought an original and surprising alternative. Vinicious wine bar has an original wine list and per bottle various wines from the province can be ordered (also some from bodega Malvajio from Mijas). In addition to fino and manzanilla, by the glass, also amontillado, oloroso and palo cortado per bottle.
In short, a nice wine bar.