De Muller Rancio Seco

De Muller, founded in Tarragona in Catalonia in 1851, has a long history that includes a title as papal supplier. Its Rancio Seco is a dry oxidative wine blending Garnacha Blanca, Garnacha Tinta and Cariñena, grapes of the warm Catalan coast. Rancio is made by deliberate oxidative ageing, with the wine held in old wooden casks and often exposed to warmth and air over many years. That slow exposure converts ethanol to acetaldehyde and builds the nutty, honeyed and slightly volatile character the style is named for, while concentration leaves it dry and intense. Fortified to around 17 per cent, the wine carries enough alcohol and structure to survive the long maturation. The colour is amber with golden highlights. The nose shows candied fruit, honey, toffee and dried nuts, the palate is dry, full and warming with a long oxidative finish. This is a wine to serve lightly chilled or at cool room temperature, around 13 to 15 degrees, in a small glass. It suits hard mature cheese, charcuterie and roasted nuts, and works as a savoury aperitif or after a meal.