100% Verdejo wine.

Certified organic natural viticulture, handled in a special way, seeking lower yields in order to achieve greater ripeness.

"Giving back to nature what man has taken from it” THE VINEYARD

Technical Sheet

Winery: Estate vineyards, at Bodega Menade, Rueda (Valladolid)
D.O. Rueda
Alcohol: 12,5%

Variety: 100% Verdejo

Serving temperature: 8-10ºC

Tasting notes: Nosso is a white wine whose nose offers aromas reminiscent of stone fruit, accompanied by herbal nuances recalling thyme or fennel and a mineral touch. A subtle presence of carbon dioxide may appear, making the palate even more refreshing and balanced, with a slightly bitter note on the finish, a characteristic reminder of the variety.

Winemaking: The grapes used come from Finca Menade, located at around 750 meters above sea level near the Duero. The soils are mainly clay and stony.

Nosso is made in a completely manual and natural way, without using harmful products in the various cultivation processes.

After harvest, the grapes for Nosso are quickly transported to the winery, where the berries are first left to ferment with wild yeasts at temperatures ranging between 18° and 24°.

After alcoholic fermentation, malolactic fermentation is allowed to develop with the wine’s own yeasts; this gives the wine unctuousness, volume, and microbiological stability so it can be enjoyed anywhere in the world. Nosso finally ages on its skins for between four and five months.

Pairing: At Made in Spain Gourmet, we recommend it on its own, as an aperitif, with grilled seafood, lightly dressed salads, crackers with foie, mushroom pâté, and creamy cheeses.

The Vineyard

The key is to combine tradition and technology to pamper the vines. It is about seeking an alliance with the environment in order to take advantage of the resources it provides, caring for it through traditional cultural practices. At Menade, chemical treatments are replaced by other natural techniques, such as plant infusions (nettles, cinnamon…) or whey, which are more respectful of the soil, the vine, and the yeasts. Far from being enemies, the insects that inhabit the Menade vineyard are loyal allies in pest prevention. First they are attracted with aromatic extracts so they can act as predators, and then they rest in their ‘hotels’, pollination gardens full of aromatic plants where insects and reptiles live in harmony. The estate ecosystem is completed with a series of shrubs and mobile trees to improve the biodiversity that inhabits the vineyard. A multi-species garden with more than 40 species from Castilla y León, alive all year round, welcomes visitors to the winery. All these practices influence the final result of the wines, because besides tasting good, they feel good. They make wines free from allergens and histamines. Through all these mechanisms, Menade has gone one step beyond the organic label. They are no longer green; they are natural.

WHERE 40 SPECIES LIVE

The so-called Pollination Garden of Bodegas Menade is a large multi-species garden with native species from Castilla y León that is alive all year round. For this reason, perennial and deciduous species have been used to develop a large floral circuit for all kinds of insects, seeking great entomological diversity.

The large Insect Hotel contains 40 species representative of the different layers of the ecosystem. On the lower level, at ground level, small-stemmed aromatic species such as lavender, sage, and different types of rosemary have been planted.

On the middle level, the choice includes wild roses, red lavender, blackthorn, elder, and wild brambles, among others.

The plants and trees installed at Bodegas Menade come from open-air crops with pruned roots, that is, a reinforced root system. This is a carefully studied environmental restoration procedure in an area marked by progressive desertification, due to the climatic characteristics of the zone and cultural practices that were not very respectful of the environment.

Although Menade’s largest Pollination Garden is located near the winery facilities in Rueda, there are also other small hotels on the different estate plots.

The creation of these micro-ecosystems provides a habitat for insects and birds that prey on other insects harmful to the grape clusters. In other words, the floral species become ‘hideouts’, improve environmental richness, and allow a balance between flora and fauna.

A carefully studied environmental restoration procedure in an area marked by progressive desertification, due to the climate and cultural practices that were not very respectful of the environment.

GRANJA MENADE

Menade is full of life; we want to give back to our surroundings what man once took away.

Every morning they are greeted by a pair of Zamorano-Leonese donkeys, an endangered breed, named Zamo and Rana. Two beautiful long-haired donkeys that bring great joy and help them keep the small ecosystem we are creating even more alive; they attract insects and we can use their organic manure.

The donkeys’ companions are hens and geese, part of Granja Menade, which will continue to grow in order to strengthen a habitat where fauna and flora live in harmony. A life cycle.

D.O. RUEDA

The Rueda Designation of Origin was recognized on January 12, 1980 by order of the Ministry of Agriculture, becoming the first Designation of Origin recognized in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León, after several years of work to gain recognition and protection for its native variety: Verdejo.

“The area protected by the D.O. Rueda specializes in the production of white wines.”

The Rueda Designation of Origin has very favorable natural conditions for producing high-quality wines, and is an area specialized in making internationally renowned white wines. Likewise, since August 5, 2008, red and rosé wines have also been protected by the Rueda Designation of Origin.

The production area protected by the D.O. Rueda is located in the Community of Castilla y León and comprises 74 municipalities, of which 53 are in the south of the province of Valladolid, 17 in western Segovia, and 4 in northern Ávila.

The different grape varieties grown are distributed irregularly across the various municipalities that make up the D.O. Rueda. However, vineyard concentration and intensity are greatest in the municipalities of La Seca, Rueda, and Serrada. Verdejo is the variety that occupies the largest area.

The Verdejo grape has lived in the Rueda Designation of Origin for more than ten centuries . Its character is defined by its aroma and flavor, with nuances of scrubland herbs, fruity touches, and excellent acidity.

Extract, a factor of personality in great white wines, is perceived through its volume and its characteristic bitter touch, which brings a flash of originality to the palate, accompanied by great fruit expression.

These are highly harmonious wines whose aftertaste invites you to continue tasting.

Continental Climate

The D.O. Rueda rises between 700 and 870 meters above sea level, with flat but high lands that endure very long, cold winters, short springs with late frosts, and hot, dry summers interrupted only by untimely storms. This factor forces the vines to seek water resources deep in the subsoil, more so than in other areas of Europe.

Budbreak is usually late, and pruning work may continue until March or early April. Rainfall is scarce, reaching minimums of 300 liters and maximums of 500 liters per year.

In former times, at the end of winter, a hollow was dug around the vine to concentrate spring water.
At the beginning of summer, a “shelter” was made by piling soil back around the vine, often burying it halfway to protect it from summer evaporation. Today, improved cultivation and the incorporation of drip irrigation compensate for these tasks, which are now impossible to carry out.

On the other hand, the difference in temperature between day and night is the secret behind the balance between the sugar the grape gains from the sun and the acidity it does not lose during the cool nights. Sunshine reaches 2.600 hours per year, which would be excessive were it not for the late ripening of the grape.

Because of its latitude, the Rueda area falls within the Mediterranean sphere. However, because of its altitude, it is considered to have continental influence.

Gravelly SoilThe D.O. Rueda is located in the central sector of the depression formed by the Duero River, creating a high plateau of gentle reliefs and slopes exposed to Atlantic winds. Broad alluvial and diluvial terraces lie along the banks of the Duero and its tributaries, the Trabancos, Zapardiel, and Adaja.

Brown soils, rich in calcium and magnesium, easy to work and stony, with good aeration and drainage and limestone outcrops on the highest parts of the undulations. Permeable and healthy, their texture ranges from sandy-silty to silty.

The pH of its soils ranges between 7 and 8. This geological substrate has evolved at the surface into brown soils over stony allochthonous deposits, giving rise to the typical “gravelly” terrain where the best vineyards of the D.O. Rueda are planted.

White grape varieties

The D.O. Rueda is one of the few European wine regions specialized in producing white wine and in protecting and developing its native variety, Verdejo.

The strong personality of Verdejo (the main variety), the addition of other varieties, and a vineyard that has learned to survive the harshness of its almost hostile environment in order to give the wine the best of itself, define the profile of Rueda white wines.

Varieties have appeared throughout the history of the D.O. Rueda. In the 1930s, the Palomino Fino variety began to be planted in the area, the origin of flor-aged fortified wines, with higher yields than other varieties and capable of producing wines similar to those of Jerez, which were much in demand at the time. It thus became the majority variety in the Medina region at that time (the C.R.D.O. Rueda does not allow new plantings of this variety). It is a variety that produces light wines with low acidity, very suitable for wines with biological aging.

The Viura variety, with its Rioja reputation, began to be cultivated in the 1950s, when the classic white wine model involved wooden barrels. This variety brought an aristocratic touch to Castilian table wine, as the virtues of Verdejo were still to be discovered and it was cultivated at both the generous and popular ends. It is used in white wines, contributing greater lightness and a touch of acidity.

Sauvignon Blanc (main variety) made its appearance in the 1970s. Originally from the French Loire, it adds a floral component with aromas of grapefruit and passion fruit, unlike the flinty touch of Loire Sauvignon, differences due mainly to the greater number of sunshine hours when compared with the Loire and Bordeaux. However, they share a short vegetative period, which in the French region is due to northern latitude and in Castilla to altitude. The D.O. Rueda was a pioneer in adopting this French variety, giving the region a modern and international character.

Viognier, authorized in 2019, is a variety that contributes aromas of stone fruit and honey with muscat-like notes.

Chardonnay, authorized in 2019, is a variety of medium-low aromatic intensity that contributes notes of ripe fruit to wines and, over time, can express aromas of butter and walnut.