Naturaleza Salavje Blanco
Azul y Garanza farm organically on the edge of the Bardenas Reales desert in Navarra, in northern Spain — a wild, arid landscape that gives their wines their name and their character. Naturaleza Salvaje means "wild nature", and this is their skin-contact white: low-intervention, honest, and a little untamed.
It's made from Garnacha Blanca, the white cousin of the grape that built Spanish wine. The grapes spend around ten days on their skins in open vats, then finish fermenting in Spanish clay amphora for six months — no oak, no fuss, just fruit, skins and time. That method pulls the wine towards orange territory, with real texture and grip.
It pours a light amber. The nose is savoury and distinctive — orange zest, anise, fennel and a saline lift — more herb garden than fruit bowl. On the palate it's bright and dry, with a taste of crunchy apple skins, a gentle tannic pull from the maceration and a clean, fresh line running through. At 11% it's light on its feet, the sort of wine you can drink through a long lunch without it wearing you out. It's a proper food wine, and it's most at home on the table.
How to Serve
Serve at 11–13°C in a wide glass — too cold and you'll lose those savoury, herbal aromatics. Give it air; it opens and softens as it breathes.
Where to Drink It
Barrafina, for Spanish plates and an adventurous list. Sabor in Mayfair, for grilled seafood. Planque in Haggerston, natural home of a skin-contact white like this.
Food Pairings
Perfect with a charcuterie board, oily fish like grilled sardines, or a spread of roasted vegetables. It also makes a genuinely interesting aperitif.
