From: Penedès, Spain
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Taste: This pretty Pet-Nat Rosé from Vins el Cep offers a pale-hued color and a bouquet of citrus, grapefruit, tangerine, red fruits, and an underlying hint of nutmeg. Refreshing and zesty, this lovely spritz shows off everything right; it’s bright, crisp, and mineral from first sip to finish, with flavors of just-ripened strawberry, sea spray, clementine, and lemon-lime. This wine perfectly balances fruit and acidity with a beachy minerality to bring it home.
Pairing: This Pet-Nat Rosé is ideal for various occasions and food pairings. For a general pairing, this Rosé is perfect as an aperitif or to enjoy with light dishes, such as salads, seafood, and grilled vegetables. Its refreshing acidity makes it an excellent match for Indian or Thai cuisine (go easy on the spice) and pasta, risotto, or rotisserie chicken. As a regional pairing, this wine pairs particularly well with Catalan cuisine, as it is produced in the Penedes DO region of Spain. It complements traditional dishes like paella, seafood fideuà, and grilled fish with Romesco sauce. For vegetarian pairings, this Rosé is an excellent match for vegetable quiches, grilled vegetables, or roasted beetroot and goat cheese salads. We also love this Pet-Nat with more casual dishes, so we’re sharing two easy recipes for Roasted Red Pepper Filled With Tuna by Martha Rose Shulman and the humble but delicious Tuna Mayo Rice Bowl by Eric Kim.
Roasted Red Pepper Filled With Tuna
By Martha Rose Shulman
About. Vins El Cep was established in 1980 through the union of four families, each cultivating family vineyards in the Penedès region since 1448 in the 15th century. These initial founders were Gil Masana, Josep Carreras, Pere Parera, and Josep Esteve. The collaboration was born out of a shared commitment to quality and sustainability, focusing on producing wines and Cavas that reflect the unique terroir of their vineyards. Can Llopart de les Alzines, an estate dating back to 1499, surrounded by vines, was the location chosen to build the Vins El Cep winery.
The winery emphasizes organic viticulture, having obtained organic certification for their vineyards. This approach ensures that the vines grow in a balanced ecosystem, enhancing the grapes' quality and expressiveness. Their commitment to the environment extends beyond organic farming practices to include measures to reduce their carbon footprint and preserve the natural landscape.
Vins El Cep is known for producing a range of Cavas and still wines. Their Cavas are particularly noted for their complexity and elegance, mainly made from traditional Penedès varieties such as Xarel·lo, Macabeo, and Parellada. They also utilize Pinot Noir in some blends. The winery’s still wines typically showcase the characteristics of single vineyards or specific varietals, highlighting the diversity of the Penedès terroir.
The grapes begin in each separate vineyard, where the close proximity of the vines to their respective winery plays a crucial role in maintaining the grapes' quality. Upon arrival at the winery, the grapes undergo a gentle pressing, extracting only the purest 50% of the must to guarantee the excellence of the final product. This meticulous approach to vinification involves separating each grape variety according to its vineyard origin, vinifying them in small vats. During this stage, strict control over the fermentation process allows for precise customization of each wine, ensuring its unique character and quality.
Following vinification, the aging process plays a pivotal role in defining the character of Vins El Cep's canvas. The bottles are stored away from light, in conditions of constant humidity and low temperatures, to foster a slow, graceful maturation. This extended aging period is crucial for developing the Reserva and Gran Reserva cavas' complex bouquet, finesse, and the seamless integration of carbon dioxide bubbles, contributing to their signature effervescence.
The tirage process marks the beginning of this transformation, with bottling in the cooler months to encourage a slow secondary fermentation in the bottle. This step is essential for developing the cavas' distinct aromas and delicate bubbles, which are the hallmarks of their quality. Using selected yeasts during this phase adds another layer of complexity and character, underscoring the winery's commitment to excellence.
Pétillant Naturel, commonly abbreviated as Pet Nat, is a style of sparkling wine produced using the méthode ancestrale, an ancient winemaking technique that predates the Champagne method. This minimal intervention, natural, and straightforward process involves bottling the wine before the primary fermentation is complete, allowing it to finish fermenting in the bottle without adding extra yeasts or sugars. This trapped carbon dioxide creates a gentle, natural effervescence. Pet Nats can be made from various grape types and are typically characterized by their cloudy appearance due to remaining yeast particles and their vibrant, fresh flavors. They are often less fizzy than traditional sparkling wines, with a rustic, artisanal quality.
