Rancio

Rancio wines are an authentic testimony of tradition, wines which have undergone a controlled oxidation, the colour of old gold and with a typical pungent aroma, of nuts and dried fruits. These are wines with a high alcohol content, vinified using both red and white grapes. There are sweet and dry Rancios and in Cataluña, where they’re a special favourite for accompanying the traditional panellets (small cakes made of marzipan and covered with pine nuts) on All Saints’ Day, this style of wine is known as vi bo 'good wine'. Some are produced by being exposed to the elements in demi-johns or large glass containers (in Cataluña this exposure to day and night is known by the term a sol i serena, ‘sun and moon’), whereas others are oxidised by leaving the butts half full. Other wines undergoing oxidative ageing and closely related to Rancios are the Oloroso Sherries and Cream Sherries from Andalucia, Fondillón from Alicante, Vinos Dorados (golden wines) and Vinos Palidos (pale wines) from Rueda, Pajarillas from Aragon, some dry Muscatels from Malaga and the Italian Vin Santo. Here at Vinissimus you’ll find Rancios with an excellent price-quality ratio, alongside absolute gems created by wineries making strenuous efforts to revive an almost forgotten tradition from the past.