Bodegas Gratias, ¿y tu de quién eres?, Manchuela, Spain, 2021

Producer Profile

When Ana and Iván got together for a party with some oenologist friends in 2007, they decided to make some wine and put it in a barrel.

The results were astonishing – and so Bodegas Gratias was born. After the success of their first vintage, the pair realized they had a chance to make a difference in a region whose wine industry was in decline. Today, Ana and Iván are on a mission to protect old vineyards of Bobal, Tardana and other local varieties, thereby preserving Manchuela’s vinous heritage while showcasing its ability to produce exciting wines for a new generation of wine drinkers. Their wines are artisanal and as natural as they come, made from organically grown fruit and fermented using naturally occurring yeasts with hardly any added sulphites.

Viticulture

Using vines from family plots typically used to make wine for the houshold, the blend of grape varieties is chosen from vast experience of the local grape varieties hardiness to diseases and climate hazards. Traditionally varieties are planted in the same vineyard (Marisancho, Teta de Vaca, Pedro Juan, Moravia Agria, Moravia Dulce, Cegivera, Rojal, Valencin, Albillo), so they are always ensured some good fruit, even during a spring frost, or humidity during summer that enhances fungal diseases.

Winemaking

The harvest is hand picked into big buckets directly in the vineyards, whole bunch fermented without destemming and with a low maceration between 4-5 days. Then pressed and aged in stainless steel, oak or tinaja and finally blended.

Tasting Note

Fresh and fruity, medium bodied. Fragant notes of mediterranean bush and fresh red fruits. Easy drinking yet plenty of complexity given by the oak, tinaja and stainless steel with its lees ageing.

Food Matching

Ham, jamon, spanish omelette or chicken work best.