Club Vinissimus Selection March 2021

Youth power

This month's selection of wines are young wines with not an ounce of wood in them. Why? We have decided to focus on the essence of wine, its fruit. We would like to show you the wonderful aromas and colours of wines which have spent no time in wooden barrels.

Wood has undoubtedly played, and plays, an important role in the history of wine. But it is also true that sometimes an excessive presence of the fragrances and flavours of wood unbalances a wine, affecting the clarity of its profile. When wines are produced and aged carefully in wooden barrels, it rounds off the finished product and adds subtle aromas to create great wines, but when wood is overused, the feel and flavours the wine gains from the barrels can hide the pureness and clarity of the fruit.

For this reason, this month we are looking at three young wines which have not been vinified in wood, wines where fruit is the main actor. After all, wine is basically fermented grape juice so it makes sense that the aromas of its fruit represent its soul rather than wooden fragrances. These three wines are the product and essence of healthy and fresh, top quality grapes cultivated in historic and renowned terroirs and vinified by some of the best winemakers in the business. They offer an insight into the true aromas, feelings and flavours of the best red wines from Rioja, Ribeira Sacra, and Fitou. They also provide a first step to interpreting the splendid Crianza wines these regions produce too. In a nutshell, it is time cry out — power to the youth of today!