Libre Y Salvaje Narancha 2023

Get to know: Libre Y Salvaje Narancha

A skin-contact orange wine from D.O. Cariñena in Aragón, made from White Grenache and a small amount of Muscat of Alexandria.

Tasting Note

Orange citrus zest and pomelo open things up, with overripe apple sitting just behind. Spice runs through the middle, mostly ginger, layered with apple blossom and dried flowers. It spends around 75 days on its skins, a mix of clay amphora and French oak, which is where that spice and texture comes from. Round on the palate, it holds onto a bright streak of acidity that keeps the finish refreshing.

Top food pairings:

• Roasted butternut squash and chilli pasta, a genuinely vegetarian match for its spice
• A Moroccan-spiced lamb tagine
• A washed-rind cheese, for something bolder

Kate Says

"As exciting as it gets: centuries-old tradition, organic and regenerative farming, four-level gravity-fed winery, minimal technology, excellent winemaking. There's apricot, orange peel and spice, with a bit of grit running through it. I've been calling it 'Christmas pudding with grit,' and it's stuck. If orange wines are your thing - don't wait around"

Producer Info

Libre y Salvaje, meaning "free and wild", works out of a centuries-old winery in Almonacid de la Sierra, in the Algairén mountain range within D.O. Cariñena. The cellar runs on gravity across four levels, with next to no mechanical intervention: there's one rule here, to follow the law of nature. Vineyards sit at altitude and are farmed organically and regeneratively, many of them abandoned plots the winery has brought back into use.

How it's made:

• Varieties: White Grenache, with around 5% Muscat of Alexandria
• White Grenache grown at 650m on stony, pebbly soils; the Muscat from an 80-year-old plot at 800m
• Hand-harvested and sorted at the vineyard, then chilled by up to 10°C before a second selection
• Spontaneous fermentation with gentle extraction at controlled temperature, and light pressing
• Around 75 days on skins; the White Grenache ages 18 months in clay amphora, the Muscat 20 months in French oak

Good to know:

• Region: D.O. Cariñena, Aragón, Spain
• Style: Orange wine (skin-contact white), still
• Closure: Cork
• Vegan: Yes
• ABV: 14%
• Vintage: 2023

Why we love it:

This orange wine from Cariñena doesn't do anything by half: citrus zest, ginger spice and dried flowers, held up by bright acidity and a refreshing finish. With only twelve bottles across our shops, it's a 'must-try' for anyone who already knows they like the style.