# Missatge en una Ampolla (2021)

- **Producer:** Amós Bañeres
- **Colour:** orange
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Macabeo
- **Region:** Catalonia, Spain
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 11.5%
- **Average price:** €25
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** No
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** lemon, grapefruit, apple, quince, orange, herbaceous, biscuit, almond

## About this wine

Missatge en una Ampolla, meaning 'Message in a Bottle' in Catalan, is produced by Amós Bañeres in the Alt Penedès region of Catalonia. Formerly a pharmacist in Barcelona, Bañeres changed career paths in 2011 to cultivate 5.5 hectares of ancestral family vineyards in La Múnia. Planted in 1989 on calcareous clay soils, the Macabeo vines are farmed using organic and biodynamic principles. Bañeres focuses on minimal intervention to allow the pure Mediterranean salinity and natural character of the fruit to take center stage.

## Interesting facts

- The wine's name translates from Catalan to 'Message in a Bottle', reflecting its sense of place.
- Amós Bañeres left a career as a pharmacist in Barcelona to return to his family's vineyards in 2011.
- Instead of heavy skin contact, only 3% to 5% whole bunches are added back to preserve fresh acidity and Mediterranean salinity.

## Food pairing

The lively acidity and subtle skin-contact tannic texture of this skin-contact Macabeo cut through creamy textures and complement delicate seafood or lightly spiced dishes. Its vibrant salinity harmonizes with Mediterranean seafood and vegetable-forward tapas without overpowering their subtle flavors.

## Wine making process

Winemaking for this cuvée relies on a unique light skin-contact technique. Approximately 97% of the Macabeo grapes are directly and slowly pressed after harvest, while 3% to 5% are retained as whole bunches with stems. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks. The wine matures on its fine lees in stainless steel for 11 months before gravity bottling, without fining, filtration, or added sulfur dioxide.