Glimmer of Hope How a YOUNG WINERY IS RESTORING the reputation of Rueda
The cliché that states that it is always darkest before the dawn may be an overstatement in regards to Rueda but there are some glimmers of hope as a younger generation begins the hard work of restoring the reputation of Rueda. One such project is Menade.
Three Sanz siblings are behind Menade:
Menade farms 160 hectares of vines in Rueda located mainly in the northern part of the DO near the Duero river.
120 hectares of vines are planted with Verdejo including an ancient, ungrafted, 30 hectare parcel of bush vines. The soils are sandy clay, with a high chalk content, and topped with gravel
Their newer plantations of Verdejo are between 20–30 years old and were selected for their clonal diversity and ability to adapt to organic farming.
The decision to convert to organic farming at Menade was made with the understanding that it resulted in better wines by reducing yields. With greater competition for resources (primarily water and nitrogen) the vines responded by setting smaller clusters with smaller berries – high in natural anti-oxidants and native yeasts.
Early proponents of organic farming, sustainability, indigenous yeasts and minimizing the use of SO2 until right before bottling it is only natural that they would take it to the next step – dispensing with SO2 entirely.
