Description
Fento Wines was created in 2012 by winemaker Eulogio Pomares. Fento is the Galician name for the common fern native to the region. As the winemaker at his family’s winery, Zarate, Pomares earned his stripes with the region’s top producer. With Fento Wines, he has expanded beyond Spain’s borders to make wine from vineyards in Portugal’s Dão region. Partnering with small growers, he focuses on Albariño and other local varieties like Treixadura and Loureiro blanco. Although not fully organic, he doesn’t use any synthetic fertilizers or insecticides.
The Fento Tinto is a rare example of a red wine from Rías Baixas. The appellation is far better known for its white wines made from Albariño, which is well suited to the cool and wet climate. The cuvée consists of indigenous grape varieties: Sousón (73%), Espadeiro (10%), Pedral (7.1%), Mencía (7%), Caiño tinto (1.5%) and Brancellao (1.4%). Known as Sezão in Portugal, Sousón is thought to have originated in the Minho wine region. It is also used in the production of both still and fortified Port wines. The variety is best known for producing wines that are rustic in character with raisiny flavours and deep colour. The grapes for this cuvée were manually harvested from 10 to 15 years old vines that lie 50 to 100 meters above sea level in the subzone of Condado do Tea. Fermentation and ageing was in stainless steel tanks.
