Lectores Vini "Pomagrana" Rosso, Catalonia, Spain 2023

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THE WINE: Pomagrana is a fluid, herbal light red made from Trepat, the fascinating local red variety of Conca de Barberà in central Catalunya. Trepat is fresh and low in alcohol, yet late to ripen and quintessentially Mediterranean, with forest fruits, soft tannins, and hints of spicy garrigue. It is traditionally used for rosés in the region, most commonly for Cava, but when vinified as a red wine, Trepat displays big personality in a delicate frame. The wine is not officiall DO Conca de Barbera as the wine is vinified and bottled at their winery in the Penedes. Fredi and Ollivier make their Trepat from a 20-year-old, certified organic vineyard planted on calcareous soils, surrounded by forest at 520 meters altitude in the village of Cabra del Camp (Conca de Barberà, northern Tarragona province). Pomagrana is one of the lightest and brightest red wines made from Trepat, with great freshness and crunchy wild fruit. Grapes were harvested by hand on October 13th, de-stemmed and fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel tank with a brief 7 days of maceration, then aged on the fine lees for 6 months in stainless steel. Bottled with a light filtration.

THE PRODUCER: Lectores was founded in 2016 by Fredi Torres, a professional house music DJ turned winemaker, who was born in Galicia, raised in Switzerland, and reared professionally in the Priorat. While traveling the world for music, he fell in love with wine, going on to enroll in enology and viticulture school. After making the leap into winemaking in Switzerland, he returned to Spain to hone his vision and craft at the legendary Priorat winery Clos Mogador. In 2004 he launched his own Priorat project, Sao del Coster, where he worked naturally in the winery and biodynamically in the vineyards long before it was common practice. He later branched out to several other regions in Spain, France, and Switzerland as a consultant, as well as co-founding Silice Viticultores in 2013 and Lectores Vini in 2016. Testing his skills and instincts in so many different regions and across many varieties and conditions, Fredi has become one of the most exciting and versatile winemakers of his generation.

In 2023, his friend Ollivier Jacq joined the adventure. Together, they share a passion for unique grape varieties and diverse regions of Catalunya. Lectores Vini is now focused on four Catalan regions: Montsant, Priorat, Conca de Barberà, and Penedès. The lineup consists of silky and vibrant wines from organically farmed grapes, all vinified naturally, full of personality, and priced to be accessible. As Fredi says, “We are like Indiana Jones, looking for old vines, nice plots, and good grapes!”