# Fals (2023)

- **Producer:** La Fleca
- **Colour:** rosé
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Garnacha
- **Region:** Catalonia, Spain
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 13.4%
- **Average price:** €20
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** No
- **When to drink:** Now
- **Serving temperature:** 8–10 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** strawberry, raspberry, cherry, redcurrant

## About this wine

La Fleca is an artisanal project founded by young winemaker Pol Sannicolas Grimas in Arnes, a small village in the Terra Alta region of Catalonia. The project focuses on minimal-intervention natural winemaking using organically farmed mountain vineyards at high elevation. The name 'Fals' translates to 'False' in Catalan, a playful reference to its Blanc de Noirs style where dark-skinned Garnatxa Negra grapes are gently pressed to create a wine that tricks the eye with its pale rosé hue.

## Interesting facts

- The name 'Fals' means 'False' in Catalan, playfully hinting at how red Garnatxa grapes are used to yield a pale rosé.
- Produced in Arnes, Terra Alta, from high-altitude mountain vineyards situated at 500 meters above sea level.
- This small-batch natural wine was featured on the wine pairing menu at three-Michelin-starred Smyth in Chicago.

## Food pairing

The high, vibrant acidity and pristine red fruit character of this natural Blanc de Noirs cut easily through fat and salt. It matches marvelously with cured meats, fresh cheeses, and seafood while maintaining crisp refreshing tension.

## Wine making process

Hand-harvested from high-altitude vineyards at 500 meters planted in calcareous clay soil. The Garnatxa Negra grapes undergo gentle direct pressing using the Blanc de Noirs technique to extract minimal color while capturing red grape aromatic character. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with wild indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. The wine is aged on its fine lees in stainless steel, bottled unfined, unfiltered, and without any added sulfites.