Isse Vino de la Tierra Castilla y León Verdejo 2018
A crisp natural white wine that is stone-fruit forward, herbaceous, has fresh acidity, and a citrusy taste!
Tasting Notes: Grapefruits, peaches, melons, lemon, and fennel!
Pairing Suggestions: Spaghetti With Black Pepper & Pecorino Romano, Spicy Seafood Salad, Cheesy Vegetable Bake
Castilla y León, Spain
Type: White | Vintage: 2018 | Sulfur: No Added | Varietal: Verdejo | Alcohol: 13% | Production: Organic | Style: Food Wine
Producer Profile
Welcome to the República Independiente del Verdejo under President Ismael Gozalo. Many know him for his work at Ossian, one of the more respectable houses in Rueda, where he was the winegrower and maker since founding it in 2004. Ismael’s family owns some of the oldest (between 100-200 years old) ungrafted pre-phylloxera vines, most of which in the town of Nieva, province of Segovia between 800-900 meters of altitud. Characterized by it’s sandy soils, these head trained vines have never seen any chemicals over the different generations that have cared for them. Though outside of the D.O. for never budging to the region’s modern and manipulative techniques, to this day Ossian remains one of the few organic producers in Rueda. Today, under the Pago de Carraovejas umbrella, Ossian continues to make some of the more interesting wines of the region but Ismael took his talent elsewhere, bringing his family’s most prized vineyards with him.
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About Natural Wine
Great question! There are a lot of definitions for natural wine with the main term you'll hear being that it has had minimal intervention. To be more specific, our definition is that the wine must first be sustainably farmed, which typically means it was organically or biodynamically farmed.
Then, in the cellar the natural winemaking process has some differences as well! The wine is typically unfined, unfiltered, and goes through spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts. If you want to know more about what natural wine is, we have an entire guide under our reference section!
The short answer is that natural wine can taste like any other kind of conventional wine (we like to call these stealth natural wines) or it can taste quite a bit different, as production methods can vary and potentially be lighter, or in a style you've never had before (like orange, pet-nat or amphora).
The natural wine community is also more accepting of some qualities in wines that conventional would consider a flaw, like Brett, some oxidation, or volatile acidity. We would consider these in high amounts to also be a flaw, but in many cases a touch of these qualities can ultimately improve their flavor and texture and be happily accepted in a natural wine.
To find out more about what natural wine tastes like, check out our full blog and podcast on the topic here.
The short answer is, no! But many are. Glou-glou describes winesthat are easily chuggable, impossible to put the glass down, and seductively delicious! They tend to be young and fresh, designed to be drunk early with an average ABV of around 10%. Check out different styles or glou glou natural wine here on our site.