Mencia

You may not have heard of this varietal, but it is surely a rising star on the Spanish vino-scene.  Mencia is grown only in the northwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula, so you’ll only find examples from Spanish and Portuguese wines made in this area. Mencia (pronounced Men–thi-a) is the grape of choice in the Spanish D.O.P. Bierzo, where it arguably reaches its most interesting profile.

Mencia produces deeply coloured black wines with an intriguing herbal lift. The best examples are made from old, low-yielding vines grown on deep schistous soils.