Terra Vermella 2018

Wine Description for Terra Vermella 2018 by Familia Nin Ortiz

Colour & Appearance

Radiant golden yellow with youthful green reflections – bright and clear, despite skin contact time and the pink-hued grape mutation.

Nose

Electrifying and of rare precision: grapefruit, salted almond and oyster shell combine with an almost flint-like mineral depth that recalls great Burgundies or top-tier Loire Sauvignons. Add wild herbs, a hint of sea air and a salty film that settles on the palate like a stormy coastal breeze. Rarely does a white wine smell so immediately and unmistakably distinctive.

Palate

Juicy yellow fruit, a smoky undertone and a lively, precise acidity – all in a wine of remarkable coolness and tension. Despite the warm 2018 vintage, the Terra Vermella remains at just 12.0% vol. – lean, vibrant and focused. Purism as a virtue.

Finish

Long, saline-mineral, with a lingering pull of fresh acidity and herbal spice. The wine does not release you lightly.

Terroir & Origin

The vineyard sits at 550 metres elevation in Alt-Penedès, in the Pla de Manlleu – red clay soil that gives the wine its name: terra vermella, red earth. The 37-year-old vines are tended by Jaume Nin Llort, a family member of winemaker Ester Nin.

Grape Variety & Vinification

Pressed from Parellada Montonegra, a pink-hued mutation of the well-known Cava variety, which Ester and Carles Ortiz discovered on this single hectare. Crushing, 24 hours of skin contact, slow pressing, spontaneous fermentation and ageing in 300-litre barrel – artisanal, without frills. The result: 6.5 g/l acidity at pH 2.8, a wine of crystalline structure.

Food Pairing Suggestions

Ideal with kohlrabi baked in salt crust with olive oil and truffle, with grilled red mullet with fennel cream, orange and anise or as a bolder companion: veal wrapped in Iberico ham with tarragon sauce and cauliflower-lemon cream. Definitely decant, serve not too cold, use large glasses.

Special Characteristics

A wine that does not flaunt its rarity, but simply proves it. Familia Nin Ortiz has transformed the Parellada Montonegra, an almost forgotten variant of an already little-regarded variety, into an extraordinary style wine – a testament to Catalan wine culture beyond the mainstream.