Vara y Pulgar 2022

Vara y Pulgar is made by Compañía de Vinos del Atlántico under the Vinos de la Tierra de Cádiz designation, from Tintilla, a native Andalusian grape long associated with the region around Rota. The company was founded in 2002 by Alberto Orte and Patrick Mata to bottle the character of Spain's distinctive regions, and farms these vines sustainably. The far south of Andalusia is hot, but the vineyards sit close to the Atlantic, where the cooling poniente wind and the pale albariza and sandy soils of the wider sherry country temper the ripeness and keep the wine fresh. Tintilla is a thick skinned, deeply coloured variety that gives structure and a savoury, herbal edge. The wine is aged in barrel, where the slow oxygen exchange rounds the tannins and adds a light spice. The colour is deep ruby. The nose shows ripe blackberry and plum with black pepper and a wild herb, almost balsamic character drawn from the surrounding scrub. The palate is medium to full bodied, the tannins firm but ripe, the finish long and savoury. Serve at 17 degrees and decant briefly. It suits grilled red meat and stews.