# Casal de Armán Tinto (2024)

- **Producer:** Bodegas Casal de Armán
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Sousón, Caíño Longo, Brancellao
- **Region:** Galicia, Spain
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.5%
- **Average price:** €14
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 12–16 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** raspberry, strawberry, cherry, plum, herbaceous

## About this wine

Bodegas Casal de Armán was established in the late 1990s by the González Vázquez family, reviving a winemaking heritage that spans four generations. The heart of the estate is an elegantly restored 18th-century court and manor house in San Andrés, Ribadavia. While the Ribeiro appellation is famous almost exclusively for its white wines, this cuvée represents a rare, highly sought-after expression of cool-climate Galician red winemaking, showcasing an intensely fresh, Atlantic character.

## Interesting facts

- D.O. Ribeiro is famous almost exclusively for white wines, making this Atlantic-style red a rare and highly sought-after find.
- The wine is completely unoaked, aged for 11 months in stainless steel to preserve the pure, vibrant character of native Galician grapes.
- With a microscopic annual production of just 3,500 to 4,000 bottles, this cuvée is highly allocated and rarely seen outside Spain.

## Food pairing

This high-acid, low-tannin red wine behaves with great fluidity on the palate, making it exceptionally versatile. Its vibrant acidity cuts through the richness of traditional Galician pork stews and octopus, while its light body and fresh red fruit profile complement grilled white meats and earthy mushroom dishes without overpowering them.

## Wine making process

The grapes are hand-harvested in small 15 kg crates from a tiny 2-hectare estate vineyard terraced along the steep slopes of the Avia River valley. Vinification begins with a 12-hour pre-fermentative cold soak at 7°C, followed by destemming and 7 days of skin-contact maceration in stainless steel tanks. After fermentation, the wine undergoes complete malolactic fermentation. It is aged entirely in stainless steel tanks for 11 months, followed by 3 to 4 months of bottle refinement before release.