Lively Wines – Germán R. Blanco
Is the new project from Germán R. Blanco in the Rioja. A project built from the ground upwards, with humility and patience, which started with its rst harvest in 2015. The philosophy dictating how we work is the same as that which we use in Quinta Milú, Casa Aurora and San Esteban: organic viticulture and minimum intervention in the cellar with the aim of bottling landscapes from our perspective.
In this Rioja-based project we are able to count on the indispensable help of Javier Colio. An experienced Navarran winemaker and old friend of Germán R. Blanco. The decision to get involved in the Navarran part of the D.O. Ca. Rioja is based on Javier ́s intimate knowledge of the region.
We look for agreements with grape growers who have Organic Certification and who are willing to accept our terms and quality criteria. This is the first time that we have made wines from grapes which we have not grown ourselves.
We rented a cellar in San Adrián.
The wines that we want to make in La Bicicleta Voladora were defined from a vineyard perspective:
We want fresh, fluid and vertical wines! Made from happy grapes, with no chemicals and no wood!
In the cellar we work with indigenous yeast using fermentation starters. The grapes are 100% destalked without crushing and they are fermented at low temperatures. Before the fermentation has finished, the wine is pressed with the aim of minimal maceration. We work with concrete in an attempt to respect and to a certain extent revise the old Riojan tradition of ageing.
The wines are aged for a minimum of 5 – 6 months in concrete tanks and in “Flextank” eggs of varying sizes.
The grape varieties we use to make these wines are Tempranillo and Viura.