Today proved that if you taste enough natural wine, natural wine becomes normal.
What I know is that all these wines were selected in Spain by Eve Chen, and we go back. These many years, Eve has gone deep into the natural wine style, and though I can’t always follow her, I firmly believe that she is close to the heart of the natural wine aesthetic. She believes in what she’s doing, and maybe I still don’t get it, but I’m trying…
The tasting was in Salud’s basement tasting room next door to PS Tapas. I actually arrived 20 minutes early, but 3 people were there ahead of me. I mention them because they were quite young and very fashionable looking. I didn’t have the nerve to introduce myself, but I imagine they were from some restaurant that specializes in Natural wine.
An entire subculture of restaurants and bars has sprung up in Taiwan, catering to young and stylish drinkers with preferences I still don’t really appreciate.
I have known for at least 15 years that the wine world has bifurcated, with the followers of natural wine following a track quite different than what we refer to as conventional wine. TWA began teaching courses in natural wine in 2012, the bad old days, when 12 bottles of Natural wine, all with the same label, by the time they reached Taiwan, might all be different colors.
I have noticed over the years that the two streams are drawing back together, with more and more so-called conventional producers adopting biodynamic and low-intervention practices, and producers of so-called Natural Wine achieving much better consistency and much-less-radical taste profiles.
To achieve high-quality wine with this style of winemaking demands much more rigorous attention to hygiene so as to prevent unwanted microorganisms inhabiting the defenseless must. Producers now largely eschew the use of sulphur to stabilize their wines (a practice common since the ROMAN empire at least), though I suspect the cleaner ones all have some sulphur added at bottling, especially if they are set for transport to the other side of the world.
OK, enough rambling. Eve Chen lives near Barcelona and is completely embedded in Spanish wine culture. She supplies SALUD with the results of her bold research into innovative producers. I won’t paraphrase.
Here below I have asked Gemini to do two things, to translate from Mandarin to English all Eve’s notes on the wines we tasted yesterday, and to transcribe my own chicken-scratch notes alongside. My notes are embarrassingly scant, but at least they corroborate Eve’s exhaustively thorough explanations.
The bottom line is that I’m now fully intrigued by these producers and must get back to La Palma and Tenerife to see and taste their marvels.
Here, in case you’re interested are all notes from the tasting:
Tasting Notes and printed Notes from Salud Tasting, Mar 9/26
1. [Malvasía White Wine 23′]
* My Notes: “Aromatic, salty, slightly sweet (23). High acid. Effervescent!”
* Printed Description: The archipelago’s most precious aromatic grape with an extremely long harvest period, 100% Malvasía Aromática, 130-year-old vines. Sourced from 9 plots at altitudes of 350~400 meters with different volcanic soils. Aged for 10 months in old barrels and 12 months in concrete tanks.
The fermentation process for this vintage was extremely slow, and the owner decided to bottle it at 5g of residual sugar, so the finished product has a slight effervescence. In addition to volcanic minerality, flavors also include wildflowers, white flowers, and nectar.
Victoria Eugenia Torres Pecis <List 2300 Price> 750ml
2. [Monte White Wine 23′]
* My Notes: “Listan Blanco (Palomino). Reductive, matchstick! High acid. Lemon. Low alcohol. 11.5%”
* Printed Description: Listán Blanco old vines located in the Las Machuquras area, from the El Monte single vineyard at an altitude of 430 meters. This plot is located in the east, constantly blown by northeast winds, with distinct Atlantic humidity.
This vintage was deeply affected by intense heatwaves from spring to summer. The soil is young, barren volcanic soil, covered with more than 2 meters of volcanic ash.
After hand-harvesting and gentle pressing, it was naturally fermented by native yeast in 500-liter old barrels and glass demijohns (Damajuana).
Victoria Eugenia Torres Pecis <List 2100 Price> 750ml
3. [Land of Fire Blended White Wine SLQ S/A NV (19’+22′)]
* My Notes: “Skin contact (orange). Smoky. Tannic. Dried apricot.”
* Printed Description: This single-vineyard white wine is a blend of two extremely hot vintages. Located at an altitude of 430~460 meters, facing a western slope, the soil is young, barren volcanic soil, covered with more than 2 meters of volcanic ash.
The 2019 vintage is a Field Blend of Listán Blanco + Malvasía. After 5 days of skin contact, it spontaneously fermented with natural yeast in 600-liter chestnut barrels for one year, without temperature control throughout the process.
The 2022 vintage only harvested Malvasía Aromática. It was directly pressed and then fermented in 225-liter French oak barrels.
Victoria Eugenia Torres Pecis <List 2100 Price> 750ml
4. [Las Migas White Wine 23′]
* My Notes: “Listan B. Salty. Very high acid. Less matchstick.”
* Printed Description: During a long 60-day harvest period, grapes were gathered bit by bit into a single vessel. The Listan Blanco, sourced from various vineyards and grown at different altitudes and soils, serves as a medium to articulate the terroir. The entire month of September was the harvest season.
After 9 days of skin contact, it continued to ferment at an extremely slow rate in concrete tanks for at least 2 years, until the yeast consumed all the sugar. It was aged on the lees until at least 1 month before bottling. Elegant aromas of white fruits and dried floral bouquets.
Victoria Eugenia Torres Pecis <List 1900 Price> 750ml
5. [Las Migas White Wine 21′]
* My Notes: (Note grouped with #4) “Listan B. Salty. Very high acid. Less matchstick.”
* Printed Description: (Same winemaking process and description as #4, but for the 2021 vintage).
Victoria Eugenia Torres Pecis <List 1900 Price> 750ml
6.[No Label Blended White Wine Sin Título S/A NV (22’+23′)]
* My Notes: “Listan B + Albillo. More stone fruit. Peach. Volcanic.”
* Printed Description: The 2022 vintage Listán Blanco (average vine age 80 years) comes from the El Tion single vineyard, at an altitude of 1000~1100 meters facing southwest, with young, barren sandy volcanic soil.
The 2023 vintage Albillo (average vine age 70 years) comes from the Jerónimo single vineyard, at an altitude of 1250 meters facing northwest, with clayey old volcanic soil, possessing continental climate characteristics.
Hand-harvested, grapes from different plots are vinified separately, gently pressed, partially macerated on skins for 48 hours, and naturally fermented in concrete tanks and stainless steel vats (Albillo fermented in concrete tanks for one year), and aged on the lees without temperature control for over 20 months.
Victoria Eugenia Torres Pecis <List 2100 Price> 750ml
7. [No Label Listán White Wine Sin Título Blanco 18′]
* My Notes: “Blend? No. Just Listan B + Diego. Very sharp acidity. Long finish.”
* Printed Description: The Listán Blanco and Diego grapes come from the northwestern and southeastern parts of the island. The northwestern part is at an altitude of 1350 meters with vine ages of 35~130 years; the southeastern part is at an altitude of 400 meters.
Grapes from different plots are vinified separately, pressed together with some of the skins retained, fermented in concrete tanks, and aged on the lees for over 20 months. With floral and spicy notes, the palate is tight with a long finish, proving it can undergo even longer aging.
Victoria Eugenia Torres Pecis <List 1500 Price> 750ml
8. [Palo Blanco Volcanic White Wine 23′]
* My Notes: “Listan Blanco. Reduction. Ashy! Green Apple. Acid v. high.”
* Printed Description: Listan Blanco (100-year-old vines) is Envinate’s latest single-vineyard work. Traditional braided pruning creates a strong expression of high acidity, high minerality, and a deep body, with a drinking window lasting until 2034. The vineyard is at an altitude of 600 meters, with a 60-degree steep slope and Atlantic climate.
Fermented with wild yeast, fermented in concrete tanks without skin contact, then transferred to egg-shaped vats for aging. Rich flavors, acidity, and salinity constantly intertwine and change, with flavors of ripe apple, pine forest, and saltpeter. It carries a hint of fruity aromas of pear, kiwi, and green grass.
Envinate <List 1980 Price> 750ml, RP98
9. [Palo Single Vineyard Las Molinas Volcanic White Wine 23′]
* My Notes: “Saline. High acid. Lemon. Sharp.”
* Printed Description: Produced from a 1.2-hectare mini single vineyard, Las Molinas, located in Los Realejos in the due north of the island. The grapes from this plot were previously used in the Palo Blanco volcanic white wine blend. Due to its perfect ripeness, the grapes’ brilliant acidity, and excellent quality, it is known as one of the best white grape vineyards on Tenerife island. It was officially bottled independently starting in 2022.
Listan Blanco (100-year-old vines). The vineyard is at an altitude of 550 meters, with a 60-degree steep slope and Atlantic climate. Fermented with wild yeast. Macerated for 1-2 days, whole bunch fermented in concrete tanks, without malolactic fermentation. It is then transferred to a 1500-liter neutral Foudre barrel for 12 months of aging.
The acidity is very high and soaring, with fresh citrus and floral aromas, as well as spices and a touch of smokiness. The palate is very vibrant, with incredibly bright mineral characteristics, outlining a long, salty, and delicious finish.
Envinate <List 1980 Price> 750ml, RP99
10. [Clarete Sur Light Red Wine 23′]
* My Notes: “Claret style. Red + White blend. Light red. Strawberr
