Iberian favorites
Shop our favorite Spanish & Portuguese favorites here!
While there are many different Spanish and Portuguese wines on our shelves, there are a few producers that belong to the Wine Press family. At any given time, you will see at least two or three wines from each of these winemakers and for good reason. Each one believes that most important aspects of winemaking take place in the vineyard. Without healthy soils and strong vines, good wine cannot be made.
Basque Country
Let’s start with one of our favorites. In the heart of Basque Country sits twenty hectares of vineyards of Hondarrabi Zuri and Hondarrabi Beltza. A distant cousin of Cabernet Franc, Hondarrabi Beltza is the basis of red and rosé txakoli wines. Hondarrabi Zuri comprises most of the whites. No matter the color, Ignacio Ameztoi’s wines are light, effervescent and full of personality. His family has been producing this style of wine for five generations and we hope they never stop.
Bierzo
Both Jose Antonio García and his wife Julia Peña García come from winemaking families steeped in tradition. But together, they produce wine with freshness that is ready to be enjoyed right away, not hidden in a cellar. Certainly, their wines based on Mencía have garnered the most attention, but they also grow Godello and Doña Blanco. No matter the grape, they believe in keeping their yields low and quality high. Especially for Mencía, this helps the wine taste exactly the way it should. This is why their wines don’t taste like anyone else’s.
Rioja
Perhaps the most recent addition to the Wine Press shelves is Marques de Tomares. Founded in 1910 by Don Román Montaña, his family is now in its third generation of production. They maintain that you can capture the essence of Rioja while preserving freshness, which is exactly what we see in their wine. Classic notes of clove, vanilla, and worn leather alongside the baked strawberry is just what we want. If you haven’t tried one of these bottles yet, place your orders now.
Bairrada
I’m not sure if there is another producer who we love more than Filipa Pato. Chemical engineer turned winemaker, she and her husband William Wouters have become biodynamic icons and for good reason. Their farming practices and strict adherence to low-intervention winemaking have given us some of our favorite wines. She grows indigenous grapes only, focusing on Baga, Bical, Arinto, Cercial, and Maria Gomes. Her 3B Método Tradicional Rosé is a Wine Press fan favorite for sure. But if you haven’t tried her Post Quercus Bical, you are seriously missing out.
Minho
It’s only been two years since Vasco Croft’s wines landed on our shelves, but it feels like they’ve been here from the beginning. Sharp, lean, mineral-driven, and delicious. That is how we describe most of his wines. All work is done by hand. Grapes are destemmed and crushed on a wooden table where the juice is quickly poured into clay amphorae. A layer of olive oil is then poured over the wine to protect it during winter. Croft began his career as an architect but found his way to winemaking after reclaiming some of his family’s vineyards. There’s biodynamic, and then there’s Vasco Croft’s idea of biodynamic. His devotion to the practice is nothing short of remarkable. He believes that wine takes on different energy depending on how it is handled, that maintaining the connection between humankind and nature is vital, and it shows.
Shop our favorite Spanish & Portuguese favorites here!
