Golds for red best-sellers

Some of the key red wines in our portfolio – Las Carlinas Garnacha 2022 and Chispas Apasionante 2022 both from DO Cariñena, as well as Melea Organic Tempranillo 2023 – have been awarded Gold medals in the prestigious Berliner Wein Trophy 2024.

Chispas Apasionante 2022 from DO Cariñena was created to meet the growing demand for sweeter styles of red wine, particularly from Eastern European markets. Inspired by traditional Italian winemaking techniques, the Tempranillo (80%) and Garnacha (20%) grapes for this wine were harvested later than usual to achieve full sugar ripeness and concentration. Fermentation was stopped at 13.5% alcohol by chilling to create a wine with balanced alcohol and 8g/l sugar. Its rich, sweet berry fruit flavours balanced by refreshing acidity earned it a Gold at this year’s Berliner Wein Trophy.

 

Las Carlinas Garnacha 2022 is the definitive Garnacha, sourced from the DO Cariñena in Aragón, the area with the most hectares of Garnacha vines in Spain, many more than 100 years old. The Garnacha vines grow at high altitude (more than 700m) with no irrigation and using sustainable viticultural techniques. The Berliner Wein Trophy judges loved the combination of minerality, elegance and freshness with a smooth, silky mouth feel.

 

The Melea Organic range has been one of our most successful launches of recent years. Named after a rare species of bee, everything about the range is created with sustainability in mind. Melea was the first Spanish wine brand to become a member of 1% for the Planet and has donated thousands of dollars to bee conservation charities since its launch in 2020.  Fruit comes from organically certified, bush-trained, dry-farmed vines at an altitude of 660m with sandy-clay soils, low in organic matter and high in chalk and limestone. The low yields (just 3-4kg per plant) give great concentration, with notes of black cherries, blueberries and a hint of black olive earning the 2023 vintage a Gold medal in this year’s Berliner Wein Trophy.

 

The Berliner Wine Trophy has become Germany’s most influential wine competition and the world’s largest international wine challenge under the patronage of the OIV and the UIOE. The number of samples submitted is steadily growing with almost 15,000 entries a year from wineries all over the world.