As Queimadas 2021 · Alan de Val

Caíño Longo · DO Valdeorras

If A Costiña is delicacy, this is tension and nerve. As Queimadas is a rare single-vineyard red made entirely from Caíño Longo, one of the Galician grapes that were almost lost and that this family set out to bring back. It's structured, mineral and vibrant, a wine with genuine character for anyone after something you won't find on just any shelf.

It's worth it because there is so little of it: this bottling runs to only around 600 to 650 numbered bottles a vintage. Single-variety Caíño is a rarity even in Galicia, few growers take on a grape this demanding, and this one has already been named Best Aged Red at the Atlantic awards. It's a wine that will keep growing in the bottle.

Reach for it when you want to impress someone who knows their wine, add spark to a serious meal, or simply discover what a grape most people will never taste actually tastes like.

What makes it special

Alan de Val is a family winery in A Rúa, Valdeorras, founded in 1993 by the three Sánchez Rodríguez brothers, from a family devoted for generations to vineyards, nurseries and winemaking. Their guiding rule still defines them: they work only their own vineyards, and they've built their name recovering Galician grapes that almost disappeared. They were among the first in Valdeorras to bottle these near-lost varieties on their own.

Caíño is one of those grapes. Naturally high in acidity and demanding to grow, it fell out of favour precisely because it asks for patience and the right site. But that acidity is its gift: it gives the wine freshness, structure and real capacity to age. Alan de Val have long been willing to make serious wines for keeping, wines that aren't the easy, typical choice in Valdeorras, and this is one of them.

The name is the place. The wine comes entirely from their As Queimadas vineyard in A Rúa. Valdeorras lies in the valley of the river Sil, on hard-draining slate and granite that force roots deep in search of water. The climate is a meeting point, Atlantic humidity from the west, continental swings from the interior, which lets the fruit ripen slowly while holding onto its bright acidity. All hand-harvested into small 14-kilo crates.

Tasting profile

Colour: Cherry red with a ruby rim, medium depth.

Nose: Vivid and layered, red forest fruit like redcurrant and raspberry alongside darker blackberry and blueberry, with a mineral note and hints of leather and tobacco.

Palate: Soft on entry then intense and structured, with mouth-watering acidity and fine tannins that promise a long life. Mineral, silky and elegant rather than heavy, with real drive.

Finish: Long and fresh, with a mineral, gently savoury echo.

Winemaking

Made entirely from Caíño Longo, hand-harvested in 14-kilo crates from the As Queimadas vineyard. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation take place in temperature-controlled stainless steel, followed by around 15 months in 500-litre oak barrels. Production is limited and the bottles are numbered, roughly 600 to 650 per vintage. The larger-format barrel gives gentle support without covering the wine's natural structure and acidity. [Current vintage in stock to confirm: 2020 and 2021 are both in the market.]

Food pairing

That fresh acidity makes it a natural at the table. It's excellent with grilled pork, roast chicken, or sausages, cutting through richness and resetting the palate with every sip. It also loves roasted vegetables and firm, mature cheeses. This is a wine that makes food taste better, so keep the cooking honest and let it do its job.

Serving temperature

Serve at 15 to 16°C. A slight chill keeps its acidity and minerality crisp. Give it some air, in the glass or a quick decant, and the red fruit and mineral notes open up.

Ageing potential

This is built to last. High acidity and fine, firm tannins are exactly what a wine needs to age well, and the winery makes it as a wine for keeping. Over the next 6 to 10 years expect the vivid red fruit to turn more savoury and earthy, the tannins to soften, and the leather and tobacco notes to grow. Rewarding now for its energy, better still with patience.

Technical details

Who is this wine for

For the collector and the curious, the drinker who chases grapes almost no one else bottles. For lovers of high-acid, structured, ageworthy reds who want freshness over power. And for anyone who likes the idea of tasting a piece of Galician history that was very nearly lost for good.