Carrasviñas Verdejo 2025

Felix Lorenzo Cachazo has been making Carrasvinas in Rueda for over twenty-five years, drawing on old Verdejo vines, some of which predate phylloxera. Rueda sits high on the Castilian plateau, where a continental climate brings very cold winters and short, hot summers. The wide swing between daytime heat and cold nights is the key to the style: it slows ripening and preserves acidity, so the grapes keep their freshness even as they mature. After a gentle pressing to draw off the free-run juice, fermentation runs at a low 12 to 13 degrees for around twenty-five days, a long cool ferment that protects the delicate aromatics and gives the wine its clean, vibrant character. The colour is pale lemon with green highlights. The nose is fresh and herbal, with lime and green apple over fennel, thyme and white flowers, a green streak that is typical of the grape. The palate is agile and lively, with citrus fruit, a touch of pear and the saline, bitter-almond twist Verdejo is known for on the finish. Serve chilled at 8 to 10 degrees.