Contino Graciano 2018 6x75cl

Intense and bright cherry red colour. An exuberant nose with fruity and spicy aromas perfectly balanced with the toasts of the wooden tanks. In the mouth, it is refreshing with a strong body, high acidity and long and velvety tannins.

Vineyards

The grapes came from our San Gregorio Grande plot: 3.7 ha planted in 1970 and 1989 (two areas).

Vintage

2018 was a year marked by the rainfalls, 200(l/m2), more than in previous years, despite of the intense rain storms, winds and hail storms, the quality of the grapes wasn ¥t affected. Temperatures during the vegetative cycle show that it was a cold winter , typical of this area and a mild summer. Bud break began between the 2nd and the 9th May, flowering on the 20th May and fruit set between 6th and 20th June. The beginning of the harvest was 17th September, firstly with the white varieties and ended 16th October with the red grapes. This harvest season can be described as a difficult harvest in terms of the adverse weather conditions but in terms of quality and quantity it was a very good harvest.

Winemaking

Alcoholic fermentation took place in 100 hectolitre French oak vats at a controlled temperature of 28 to 30 degrees for 8 days. After maceration of another 7 days, malolactic fermentation took place in new French oak barrels and ageing remained in 100% new French (90%) and Hungarian (10%) oak barrels. After 15 months the wine was bottled and cellared for a year before being released.

Enjoy with:

• Grilled and Roasted Red Meats
• Casseroles/Stews
• Mature Strong Cheeses

Enjoy this grape with hearty stews and chorizo dishes