# Salmónido (2023)

- **Producer:** Bodega Barranco Oscuro
- **Colour:** rosé
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Pinot Noir
- **Region:** Andalucía, Spain
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 14.0%
- **Average price:** €24
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** No
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** raspberry, cherry, plum, herbaceous

## About this wine

Bodega Barranco Oscuro is located in the Alpujarra region of Granada, high in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of Andalusia, Spain. Established in 1979 by Manuel Valenzuela, who now works alongside his son Lorenzo, the estate is renowned for its high-altitude viticulture and uncertified organic practices. Cultivated at elevations reaching up to 1,368 meters above sea level, these vineyards are among the highest on the European continent. The name Salmónido, meaning salmon-like, reflects the analogy of a salmon swimming upstream against the current, representing the estate's philosophy of returning to authentic, low-intervention winemaking.

## Interesting facts

- Grown at up to 1,368 meters elevation in the Sierra Nevada, making these some of the highest vineyards in Europe.
- The name Salmónido refers to a salmon swimming upstream, symbolizing a return to natural, authentic winemaking.
- Manuel Valenzuela is widely acknowledged as one of Spain's pioneering grandfathers of zero-sulfur natural wine.

## Food pairing

This natural rosé combines vibrant high-altitude acidity with substantial mid-palate structure from brief skin maceration. Richer fish species like salmon and tuna complement the wine's weight and fruit intensity, while traditional Spanish tapas and cured meats match its earthy schist minerality and fresh acidity.

## Wine making process

The grapes are hand-harvested from low-yielding Pinot Noir vines grown on schist and clay soils in a dry, windy high-altitude microclimate. The fruit undergoes a brief 24-hour maceration on the skins in stainless steel tanks to extract subtle color and texture. Fermentation occurs spontaneously using native yeasts without temperature control or chemical additives. The wine is aged for several months in a combination of neutral oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered with no added sulfites.