Quinta de San Joanne Branco 2014

This is the first wine from a tasting entitled ‘Atlantic wines’ at Madrid & Darracott. These are all wines from the North East region of Spain along the Atlantic Coast and subsequently benefit from more rain and cooler conditions than those that prevail on the opposite side of Spain by the Mediterranean or inland where it is hot as hell.

This region is largely known for its white wines, but there are some reds. the focus was on wines suitable for the hot Madrid summers, so light and refreshing was the order of the day.

Having said we’re looking at the North East region of Sopain this first wine actually comes from just over the border in Portugual. But what the hell it’s the same sort of climate conditions there.

The winery, Casa de Cello, has two bodegas: Quinta da Vegia and Quinta de Sanjoanna. The latter, which is where this white wine comes from, is located in the heart of Entre-Douro and Minho region, near Amarante. They produce fve different wines described by their website as:

Terroir Mineral – A very versatile wine, perfect any occasion

Alvarinho – Our alvarinho

Escolha – A Premium, considered one of the best wines of the Region

Superior – A wine that is only produced in years considered of superior quality

Passi – A dessert wine, made with our grapes harvested and dehydrated before winemaking, a delight

We are trying the Terroir Mineral which is made from the grape varieties Loureiro and Avesso. This is their basic intro wine, judging from their descriptions, and apparently comes from the most mineral terrain, hence the name.

It has a medium intensity yellow colour with a good scent of white fruit and floral. There is also a bit of lees/butter. There is practically no information on the winery’s website as to the production methods used in this wine, so I’ve no idea if it is left on the lees or not, but the scent indicates maybe. Having said that I couldn’t taste the stuff so maybe not.

A dry wine, but not super dry. Medium to high acidity but again not too much, and a  good finish

It tastes of apple, white fruits and some of the floral. Not getting any of the promised lees, but the body is good for a basic white: medium light.

This is a good refreshing wine for their basic level offering and I would happily drink it when in Portugual, but will probably stick to my tried and tested Spanish whites whilst here in Spain. Wouldn’t mind trying the Casa de Cello higher end offerings though.

Note: There is some confusion over the price of this wine. The internet produces a range of prices per bottle of around 8€ to 10€ depending on the vinatge. The winery’s website quotes 44€ for ths wine’s 2016 vintage. Well i certainly wouldn’t pay that and it is unlikely that Madrid & Darracott would have included a wine of that price in a tasting without mentioning it, so I tend towards the 10€ myself.