Envinate Benje Listan Prieto Tinto 2022

Tasting Notes

Listan Prieto aka Pais. You will not come across a red wine like this too often. From Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands - volcanic territory. That shows through as a mineral, spicy, salty-edged wine, with full blackberry fruit. It may only be 12% alc, but it’s a powerful taste, and definitely a good wine. Preferably with red meat or casserole. Decant first. - Michael L

From the Envinate team, the name that translates to my favourite reflexive verb of all time, “Wine Yourself”. Listán Prieto, also known as País, Mission. Now extinct on the Spanish mainland, this light-bodied grape found its cultural home in the Canary Islands, the port before its journey into the New World. The name "Benje" comes from the indigenous name for the (until she recently blew her top) tallest volcano on Tenerife, the largest island of the Canaries. The vines grown in the shadows of the volcano at an altitude of 1000m allow the Envinate team to find plenty of freshness and balanced acidity in this often overlooked grape. The reductive nose reminds you of its volcanic terroir, but this blows over to reveal tart red fruits, Morello cherries, unripened strawberries, herbs and of course, minerality. Wine yourself accompanied with Jamón and Papas Arrugadas, the salted, wrinkled potato dish from the Canaries themselves. - Peta W