2023 Vaquos Ribero del Duero

Bodegas Pinord is an historic family winemaking empire with vineyards and wineries scattered throughout Spain. They’ve been in business for over 150 years, pioneering many aspects of the wine trade, including production of the first sparkline wine in Spain in 1942. They’d eventually brand these sparkling wines “Dibon”, a name you might recognize. This forward thinking also brought about the organic conversion of their vineyards in the 1990s, a process that culminated in 2007 with Demeter biodynamic certification; no small feat! The wine you will be enjoying this month is from their “Vaquos” project based in Ribera del Duero (Vaquos refers to the first permanent settlers of the northern plateau of Castile in the 6th century; a wine loving lot). The Vaquos lineup features the tempranillo grape (called “Tinta Fina” ‘round these parts) in various iterations, with “Cosecha” being the youngest of the bunch. No barrel aging here, just stainless steel, which results in unvarnished, pure fruit. This would go well with manchego and chorizo or if you need a red to pair with Mexican or Indian cuisine.