Peixes, Peixe Estrada, Galicia 2019 - 75cl
Peixes is the newer project of Curro Bareño and Jesús Olivares, two of the people behind Fedellos do Couto in Ribeira Sacra. Peixe da Estrada is a red field blend from high-altitude vineyards around Viana do Bolo, on the banks of the Bibei between Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras — granite and schist, 600 metres up, Atlantic air with a continental bite. Mencía leads, co-fermented with old-vine oddities like Mourátón, Sousón and Bastardo, plus a scattering of white grapes thrown into the same vat.
It sits outside the local DOs by choice, labelled simply as Spanish wine — the growers wanted freedom over a badge. Whole bunches macerate for a couple of months, then the wine spends a year on its lees in old foudre. Nothing is pushed.
The 2019 is fresh and high-toned: bramble and redcurrant, wild flowers, a herbal top note and a twist of clove. It runs light on its feet — fluid, gently tannic, more energy than weight, with pure cassis fruit and a mineral snap that reads like the mountainside it grew on. This is Galician red at its most alive, not its most powerful.
Drink it young and slightly cool, when you want a red that refreshes rather than fills you up.
How to Serve
Serve lightly chilled, 13-15°C — a cool cellar temperature suits it far better than room warmth. No decant needed; a standard red glass is fine. Drink now while it sings.
Where to Drink It
Brat in Shoreditch, whose live fire and lighter reds are a natural fit. Planque in Haggerston, for the low-intervention crowd. The Wolseley, if you want it somewhere grand and unfussy.
Food Pairings
Grilled octopus with paprika and oil — pulpo á feira — is the homesick pairing. Otherwise a plate of charcuterie and it keeps its footing.
