Medium yellow-gold color; citrus, white fruits, fennel on herbaceous nose; honeydew melon, lime, fennel, white peach, pear on the palate.
Dry; good acidity (3.3 pH)—common with verdejo. Medium-full body for a white with nice texture in the mouth; tincture of bitterness on the finish—an esteemed characteristic of verdejo. This is 100% verdejo grape wine; verdejo is almost exclusive to the Rueda region of Spain, northwest of Madrid on the Duero River.
The Rueda region was recognized as a Denominanción de Origen (DO) wine region in 1980. Wines labeled Rueda must contain 50% verdejo; it often is blended with sauvignon blanc and macabeo. Wines designated “Rueda Verdejo” must contain 85% verdejo, and most often are 100% verdejo, as is this effort.
Beronia harvests twice, the first to pick grapes that are fresher and more herbaceous, the second a few days later to yield grapes that are more fruit-forward. The juice from each ferments in stainless steel and concrete vessels. According to the Beronia website, the stainless steel produces more fruit characteristics and the cement warmer, denser wines. “With the concrete, we are focusing on the palate, whilst the stainless steel focus is on the fruit.” The two are then blended to create this effort.
Beronia is a sustainable winery. Their website notes: “The starting point for the design of the winery was that it should be sustainable. Its thick concrete walls and the fact that the areas where the wine is actually made are semi-underground, being five metres [16.4 feet] below ground level, mean that there is low thermal inertia between the outside and the inside of the winery. As a result, due to the lower heat flux, the temperature inside this part of the winery remains constant – a valuable asset when it comes to storing and keeping white wines. Viticulture at Beronia Rueda is rational. ‘Because of the climate here, you could almost be working organically without actually trying, because this is a very special area,’ explains Beronia Rueda’s winemaker, Marián Santamaría.”
Beronia Rueda Verdejo DO 2017 is crisp, food-friendly, sometimes called the Spanish sauvignon blanc. This is herbaceous, slightly nutty flavors with classic bit of bitterness on the finish that is feature, not a flaw, as a food wine. Does well as an aperitif or with lighter meals; white fish; fish tacos; carnitas; lime chicken; lean white meats in general; pasta; rice dishes; lighter cheeses. $10-14
