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Casa Althay Viticoltures Blanco
£43.00
Casa Althay is an exciting new winery on the volcanic island of Lanzarote, where their extraordinary lunar-style vineyards produce compelling wines. The Viticoltures Blanco is a dry white made of Malvasía, Listán Blanco, and Diego from ancient vines. Medium-bodied and elegant with quince, orange blossom, smoke, creamy yet fresh with hints of salt.
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Excludes perishable or personalised products or those products that have been specified as non-returnable.
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At a Glance
Spain
White
13
Medium
2023
75CL
The island of Lanzarote is one of the world’s most unique winegrowing regions. With a population of 150,000, there are nearly 2,000 registered vine-growers and 21 wineries. There are 5 native varieties, whose vines are planted ungrafted and often well over 100 years old. The Canary Islands have a great history of winemaking and once produced world-famous wines, drunk by royalty, aristocrats and writers; Shakespeare was a huge fan. Millions of litres of Sack or Malmse,y as it was known (the nickname for the Malvasía grape), were exported to the UK and America between the 16th and 18th centuries, as the islands lay on busy trade routes.
Between 1730 and 1736, Lanzarote had a constant flow of volcanic eruptions, in what is now known as the Timanfaya National Park. Around 30% of the Island was affected; the fertile farmland buried beneath lava and volcanic ash, known as rofe or picon. The first vines were planted in the soil beneath the rofe, which could involve manually digging large holes up to 4 meters wide by 3 deep, down to the soil, often topped with a dry lava stone semi-circular wall known as a zoco around the northern edge of the hole to protect against the strong trade winds. Lanzarote only receives 150ml of rain per year on average, and the vines are not watered by manual irrigation, even today. The volcanic rock retains the little available moisture (rain and humidity), allowing the vines to survive. This incredible, lunar-style of cultivation is the signature of the La Geria region. Away and north of La Geria, the rofe is thinner, and some vines are planted in low rows behind lines of stone walls. In the Chabocos region, you can find vines planted in narrow volcanic gullies up to 3 metres deep, the vines growing up over the top edge.
Casa Althay is a relatively new winery. In 2018, the Spinola family purchased a 10-hectare vineyard and an abandoned house in the heart of La Geria, Lanzarote. The land was quite old and neglected, but full of potential. Eduardo Spínola, an architect deeply in love with the unique landscape of Lanzarote, first fell for the house and convinced the family to acquire both the house and the surrounding vineyard. What started as a personal project soon became a true family endeavour. Eduardo’s brother Enrique developed a deep passion for viticulture and winemaking, and together they began the slow and careful process of restoring the vineyard, releasing their first vintage in 2023.
Since then, they’ve continued acquiring and restoring other old vineyard parcels across the island, with the goal of crafting wines that reflect the unique character of each site.. They work with traditional viticulture including many of the craters or pits, which lie next to the winery itself. The wines combine a beautiful creamy textural element with a saline, mineral precision. These are wines of exceptionally high quality and character.
Made from plots of vines owned by vinegrowers who are friends of Casa Althay, this wine features the three white varieties native to the island of Lanzarote: Volcanic Malvasía, Listán Blanco, and Diego. The grapes come from different locations on the island: La Geria, Masdache, and an estate located in Tisalaya. This wine is meant to reflect the island, its diverse landscapes, and the work of the different vinegrowers on their small plots, with vines from 10 to over 100 years old utilised. A variety of production methods were used here, from direct pressing to maceration with skins, depending on the state of the grapes (health and ripeness). Some batches, after temperature-controlled alcoholic fermentation with natural yeasts, underwent malolactic fermentation. Ageing is in stainless steel, resting for 10 months on lees, and bottles without filtration.
A delicious medium-bodied white flecked with quince, orange blossom, smoke, creamy yet fresh with hints of salt. Poised and elegant yet texturally seductive.
