Grape Variety: Vigiriega

Colour: White

Obscure Spanish variety that can be found in the Canaries and also in Almeiria in Granada.

Barranco Oscuro make three wines featuring Vigiriega including a natural sparkling. Tres Uvas is a blend featuring equal parts of Vermentino and Viognier - the killer Vs. The two parcels of Vigiriega are on the schist soils of the Cerro Las Monjas vineyard planted as bush vines between 1985 and 1990 at between 1,340 and 1,360 metres altitude. The yields are very low, being less than 1kg per vine. Grapes are destemmed and lightly pressed. Fermentation then takes place in large oak vats using only wild yeasts and no temperature control. Malolactic fermentation takes place naturally. Sulphur is only used in extreme cases but usually not employed at all, not even at bottling. The wines are not fined or filtered. Each variety is aged separately in Slovenian oak barrels for 8 months after which equal parts of the three varieties are blended and aged in tank for a further sixteen months.

The wine’s rich golden colour seems to hold the light and hints at pelagic depths. The complex nose contributes to this impression being floral with ripe fruits, sweet spices, baked apple, medlar, yellow plum and some sherry notes. On decanting, the wine develops fresher citrus character. On the palate Tres Uvas is full bodied but not heavy, with ripe, almost bruised apple fruit, pearskin, hot ginger beer, malt, liquorice and intriguing curry spice (fenugreek and mustard seed). The finish is spectacular with amontillado sherry mixed with lemon citrus and concentrated mineral salts – the manages to be dry, savoury, warm, spicy and unbelievably moreish.