Castes Nobres · Alan de Val

The wine that rescued three grapes from near-extinction. "Castes Nobres" means "noble varieties" in Galician — and that's exactly what this is: a blend of three native Galician grapes that almost disappeared, brought back by a family that refused to let them go.

Brancellao, Caíño and Sousón — hand-harvested from the family's own vines. Alan de Val were pioneers in recovering Brancellao in particular, a grape once widespread in Valdeorras that had all but vanished by the end of the 19th century. The result is a red unlike anything you'll taste from the usual Spanish regions: aromatic, fresh, with bright acidity, red fruit, wild herbs and a distinctly Atlantic soul.

Serve at 15–16°C. A brilliant match for grilled fish, octopus, roast poultry and Galician cuisine in general.

Tasting notes

• Region: DO Valdeorras (Galicia)
• Grapes: Brancellao, Caíño, Sousón (native varieties)
• Style: Red, native-variety blend
• ABV: 13.5%
• Serve at: 15–16°C
• Bottle: 750 ml

Why it matters: recovering near-lost native grapes is exactly the kind of "there's so much more to Spanish wine" story we love to pour.