Wine of the Month, August 2022
Brezo Tinto Mencia, 2020
Bodegas Mengoba, Castilla y León, Spain
£12.50 + 100 loyalty points
When you fancy a glass of red on a pleasant summer's afternoon what could be better than a crisp, fruit filled glugger that's been just slightly chilled. That's where August's wine of the month comes in. It's been on our list for many a year now, deservedly so, but coming from a slightly obscure part of the country it can easily get overlooked. So, for that reason, we've decided to blow its trumpet a bit and make it a 'Wine of the Month'. To be perfectly honest it's great all year round, but August, in particular, is a month, when you give it a half hour in the fridge, that it can really shine.
Tell me where it's from. Bierzo is the answer; it's in the far northwest corner of Castilla y León, almost in Galicia. It's an up and coming wine region which is attracting talented winemakers from all across Spain and beyond. Mencía is the red wine grape that steals the show here and the area's well-drained slatey soils help to make well-balanced, fruity wines that are a pleasure to drink.
What about the winemaker? Grégory Pérez is the hands on owner of Bodegas Mengoba. Initially from Bordeaux he cut his teeth at Châteaux Grand-Puy-Lacoste and Cos d'Estournel before being attracted to the remote Bierzo countryside where he launched Mengoba in 2007. He farms his patchwork of vineyards across the area's rolling hills organically with the aim of making wines that properly express the local terroir.
The wine itself? The fruit is sourced from several remote parcels of 30 to 60 year old from across the slate-rich rolling countryside around Valtuille and Villafranca del Bierzo. To keep a fresh juicy character most of the fruit was destemmed before pressing. It underwent a natural fermentation in stainless steel tanks prior to early bottling. The result is a wonderfully bright that's crisp and mineral, but with the fresh ripe, juicy fruit always leading the way.
In summary If you like the crunchy reds of the Loire Valley, or the juiciness of a good Beaujolais then this will certainly be up your street.
Starting on Friday 29th July and all throughout August it's available at £12.50 per bottle singly, or as part of a Mixed Six and for every bottle purchased you'll earn a bonus 100 loyalty points as well (that's worth £1.00 on redemption)
Check out the details here
Wine of The Month
