Envinate, Albahra Garnacha Tintorera 2021 - 75cl
Envínate are four friends who met studying oenology in Alicante, and they've become one of the most exciting names in Spain by doing the unglamorous thing brilliantly: farming forgotten vineyards and bottling them with almost no interference. Albahra is their Almansa red, and at this price it is one of the smartest buys in the range.
The blend is roughly 70% Garnacha Tintorera — better known as Alicante Bouschet, one of the rare grapes with red flesh as well as red skin — rounded out with about 30% Moravia Agria, an old local variety that brings acidity. The vines sit at 800 metres, and that altitude is the whole story: warm days for ripeness, cold nights to hold onto freshness. Around half the fruit is fermented whole-bunch with native yeasts, then the wine rests eight months in concrete on its lees. No new oak, nothing to blur the picture.
The result is deeply coloured but light on its feet, just 13% alcohol. Violets and blue fruit on the nose, wild flowers, Mediterranean herbs and a saline, almost iodine edge. The palate is juicy and crunchy — mulberry and dark berries, a little earth, fine lacy tannins and a fresh, savoury finish. Think of a Monastrell from just south, but brighter and with none of the leathery weight. A weeknight wine that punches far above its weight.
How to Serve
Serve at 14–16°C, a touch cooler than you might expect — a brief chill flatters the whole-bunch lift. No decanting needed; a straightforward red glass lets the perfume through. Any leftovers keep happily overnight.
Where to Drink It
Brat in Shoreditch, alongside something off the grill. Planque in Haggerston, squarely in its low-intervention comfort zone. Dandy on Maltby Street, for a fun, fridge-cold pour.
Food Pairings
Lamb chops off a hot grill, or a smoky aubergine and tomato dish where the wine's freshness cuts through. Slightly chilled, it's also a fine partner for a chorizo-heavy tapas spread.
