Avia Valley (Riobó), Galicia, Spain - 50% Treixadura, 20% Albariño, 15% Palomino, 10% Caíño Branco and 5% Torrontés. Spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel and aging 70% ampoules of 400 l. and 30% in used oak barrels of 500 l. for 7 months. Recommended by El Sommelier.
FACENDA AGRÍCOLA AUGALEVADA MERCENARIO WHITE 2019
Fazenda Agrícola Augalevada is the winery that gives its name to the project of Iago Garrido and Liliana Lafuente. Located in Rioboó, in the historical nucleus of Ribeiro, on the left bank of the Avia valley, leaving behind the Monastery of San Clodio and following a winding road up the mountain, you reach the farm, surrounded by vegetation and mountains where you cannot see more civilization than a few animals that Iago himself cares for on his 4-hectare farm. A place that captivates you with its silence and beauty. A small stream runs between the vineyards that divides the estate into two parts, which the older countrymen called "Augalevada", a name they decided to borrow for their new winery in the place. Iago and Lili met at the Faculty of Ourense where they were studying Agricultural Engineering with a specialty in Enology. In 2009 they bought the 4 Ha farm where they planted 2.5 Ha of vineyard. with various autochthonous varieties of the Ribeiro, always closely linked to the idea and knowledge of organic and biodynamic viticulture. In 2013 they built the winery and were certified by Demeter, being the first and only winery with official biodynamic certification in Galicia. The winery is designed by plants to work by gravity so that the care of the grapes and the must is as delicate as possible. The grapes ferment naturally in 500 l amphorae. buried in the basement of the cellar.
Iago is a born nonconformist, idealist and passionate about wines with a soul, he is not satisfied with making a good wine, he seeks extremes in winemaking and works tirelessly to achieve it. In addition, he is a smart guy and he knows that the sustainability of the ecological project is unsustainable without a parallel project like that of his “Mercenaries”, the “negotiant” line that allows him to have consistency in production every year. To do this, he buys grapes from various winegrowers, from different areas of the Ribeiro, who work organically with which he makes the white Mercenario and red Mercenario. He also collaborates with César Méndez (Terras de Lantaño), a winegrower in Rías Baixas, from whom he has been buying grapes since 2017 and from which Mercenario Parcela Eiravedra 2017 and Mercenario Crianza Biolóxica albariño emerged.
