VERDEJO WINE: CHARACTERISTICS AND FUN FACTS

The hottest months of the year are nearly upon us, and white wine is the order of the day to go with our apéritifs, lunches and dinners. They’re ideal wines and really tantalising for a good sip over the coming months. For a white wine to be called a Verdejo, it needs to be made only using these grapes or with at least 85% of them.  

What stands out about these wines is their smoothness, fruitiness and freshness. The colour of Verdejo white wine is generally straw yellow with green shimmers, both clean and bright. In the mouth, we get nuances of fresh herbs and a slight bitter flair, which makes them even more tantalising and really easy on the palate.  

The white Verdejo grape variety is the result of crossing white castellana grapes and traminer grapes, which come from Italy. The most notable of their main characteristics are the following:  

Compared with other varieties, they have smaller bunches, and they take on a greenish yellow tone when they ripen. Their translucent skin allows us to see the pips inside them when lit from behind.   

They are one of the most important crops in Spain. These grapes can grow in dry climates, even in soil that is not necessary very fertile. Even though this variety is native to the Rueda Designation of Origin, it still grows in areas that fall within DOCa Rioja.   

Currently, while used to create young wines, the Verdejo grape is also used to create crianza wines, since the structure of the grape allows for barrel fermentation and barrel ageing.

For a little summer tipple, either with your family or friends, we recommend having a bottle of El Coto Verdejo on hand. It is thought to be the first monovarietal white Verdejo wine to be produced in the Rioja Designation of Origin; in other words, it’s the first one to be made exclusively using Verdejo grapes.  

Just after harvesting, the stalks are removed and the grapes are cold macerated and gently pressed in the winery, ensuring that they don’t come into contact with oxygen in the pre-fermentation process. Once the full fermentation process gets started, it takes place at 16 degrees centigrade to extract all of the grapes’ aromatic potential.  

The vineyard is located in Finca Carbonera, one of the highest vineyards in the DOCa Rioja. If you love seafood, El Coto Verdejo is the perfect pairing for your feasts from the sea. It’s best to serve it at a temperature between 7 and 8 degrees centigrade.