# El Sogre (2023)

- **Producer:** La Forastera
- **Colour:** orange
- **Type:** sparkling
- **Grapes:** Xarel-lo, Parellada
- **Region:** Catalonia, Spain
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 10.5%
- **Average price:** €19
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** No
- **When to drink:** Now
- **Serving temperature:** 7–9 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** apple, pear, lemon, orange, herbaceous, white pepper, bread, toast

## About this wine

La Forastera ('The Foreigner') was founded in 2018 by Matthias van der Sluis, a former Dutch architect who moved from Amsterdam to Penedès with his Catalan wife to restore old vineyards. 'El Sogre' translates to 'The Father-in-Law' in Catalan, dedicated to his father-in-law who provided access to family vine holdings in Font-Rubí. The label features a wolf illustration representing the woodland parcel Bosc de Cal Llopet ('Forest of the Little Wolf').

## Interesting facts

- 'El Sogre' means 'The Father-in-Law' in Catalan, honoring the family member who entrusted the winemaker with his old vines.
- Winemaker Matthias van der Sluis left a career as an architect in Amsterdam to revive historic vineyards in Penedès.
- The wolf on the label is inspired by a parcel on the estate named Bosc de Cal Llopet, meaning 'Forest of the Little Wolf'.

## Food pairing

The high acidity and gentle natural sparkle cleanly slice through oily fish and fried preparations, while brief skin contact provides enough texture to balance rich tapas and aged sheep cheeses.

## Wine making process

Crafted using the ancestral method (pétillant naturel) from organically farmed Xarel·lo and Parellada grapes. The fruit undergoes a short skin maceration prior to spontaneous fermentation using native yeasts in stainless steel tanks. The wine is bottled before primary fermentation completes to trap natural effervescence, and is released unfined, unfiltered, and with zero added sulfites.