Costador Terroirs, Metamorphika, Macabeu Brisat, 2020

Costador terroirs are single-vineyards, organic wines produced from old vines. Mountains vineyards maximum highs of 864 meters. The majority of the fermentation is carried out in clay amphorae called Tinajas. The orange wines are fermented with whole berries with skin contact during 6 to 8 weeks. The final juice is a real & authentic wine with a natural taste.

They work with autochthon Catalan varieties and another with singular terroirs. Costador is around 15 different plots of vines, scattered around Tarragona province, but mostly centred around Conca de Barberà, with mountain as well as Mediterranean influences. The soil around here is mostly calcareous and this limestone minerality shines through in the wines. Macabeu Brisat is made from 60-year-old Macabeu vines at 800m of altitude on white clay/calcareous soil with a lot of quartz and stone. Immediately after harvest 50% of the grapes are pressed and passed to large amphora with their skins. The other 50% of grapes are destemmed and the berries placed whole in amphora. The juice spends 6 weeks on skins in amphora, where the fermentation takes place. The wine is then taken from amphora by gravity and passed to 225l and 600l old French oak barrels where it rests for 5 months. Costador Terroirs, Metamorphika, Macabeu Brisat is bottled in ceramic with a wax seal, the idea is that this wine begins its ageing process (the fermentation) in clay and finishes it in clay. This is very much a mountain wine, from a plot that is usually a full 5 or 6 degrees cooler than the coast, with a great balance and acidity. The time spent macerating on skins adds a depth of flavour and tannin that means it pairs excellently with many foods, in particular richer white fish and meat dishes. Brisat is the Catalan word for ‘orange wine’, as it is an old tradition in Conca de Barberà, Priorat and the Terra Alta to macerate white wine on skins for a period in clay amphora. This is a tradition that has all but died out amongst winemakers in the area.