Case of As Xaras 2022 | $49.00 per bottle

Fedellos do Couto As Xaras 2022 | Vino de España, Galicia

92+ Points — Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
12,000 bottles produced.

Producer: Fedellos do Couto (Curro Barreño, Jesús Olivares & Luis Taboada) Region: Val do Bibei, Ourense, Galicia, Spain
Classification: Vino de España
Grape Variety: Mencía (100%, old vine, whole bunch)
Viticulture: Organic, indigenous yeasts, no additions
ABV: 12%

The Vibe The label says Vino de España — not Ribeira Sacra, not Valdeorras, not any single appellation. That's not a demotion. Fedellos do Couto works the Bibei Valley across boundaries that predate the DO system entirely — steep terraced vineyards on both sides of the river, some inside official appellations, some outside. Rather than force the wine into a category it doesn't fit, the three founders bottle it as what it actually is: Spanish wine, from Galicia, made the way Galician wine was made before there were rules about it. It's a classification that fits the Cosecha portfolio perfectly — most of the producers here have chosen place and practice over paperwork.

The Taste Dusty strawberry, morning mist, white pepper, and tart cherry acidity — chalky texture running through the whole palate to a clean mineral finish. Crunchy freshness, cherry practically popping out of the glass, super-fine tannins with violet perfume from the whole-bunch work. The 2022 dry season produced a more fruit-forward, varietal expression with medium body and stony austerity on the palate. Two months of gentle whole-bunch maceration builds the floral aromatics; 12 months in old 500-litre French oak adds texture without tannin.

The Story As Xaras takes its name from the River Xares — a blend of two sites on opposite sides of the valley. The Val do Bibei escaped the hydroelectric dam development that transformed the Val do Sil, leaving ancient terraced vineyards nearly intact and nearly abandoned — until Curro, Jesús, and Luis arrived in 2013 and started farming them. The vineyards sit at 550–650 metres on granite and metamorphic rock with schist and quartz, worked entirely by hand without certification but rigorously organic in practice. No DO claimed. No appellation politics. Just Mencía, a river valley, and three winemakers who'd rather be accurate than officially correct. 

Best Enjoyed With Serve slightly chilled at 14–15°C. Grilled lamb, BBQ pork ribs, roast chicken with herbs, or aged Galician tetilla cheese. The acidity and fine tannins make it one of the most food-flexible reds in the portfolio.

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