Spanish wine: 2020 Gramona Origens Mart rosé

Organically grown grapes // Biodynamic // Demeter-certified

This rosé comes from the Catalunya/Catalonia wine-growing region of Spain, about a 30-minute drive from the city of Barcelona. Made with organic, biodynamically-farmed Xarel·lo vermell grapes (pronounced cha-rel-lo VER-me), a varietal native to Spain that almost went extinct. Fortunately, the region’s wineries resurrected Xarel·lo vermell before it was lost forever. The Winerabblers haven’t had the opportunity to taste much of this varietal… yet! I found it to be both sweet and tart with a broad, expansive mouthfeel and long finish.

Gramona wines are biodynamically-farmed and the organically-grown grapes are hand-harvested on flower days. (Click here to learn more about the biodynamic calendar and this link to read about different grape farming practices.) After the grapes arrived to the winery, fifth generation winemakers Jaume and Xavier Gramona Batlle cold-soaked the grapes for 48 hours before fermenting in stainless steel tanks. Doing so imparted color and preserved the grapes’ natural acidity. Bringing the biodynamic philosphy full-circle, the wine was bottled on a flower day.