Más Que Vinos "Los Conejos Malditos" Tempranillo 2022

"The Cursed Rabbits?" What did those poor bunnies do, after all? They keep stealing grapes from the vineyard! Luckily, the winemakers at Más Que Vinos came away with enough of the harvest to produce a very tasty wine. Whereas Tempranillo can be dark, full-bodied, and tannic, this version is light and fun. Carbonically macerated (using the whole-cluster fermentation process most often associated with the light reds of Beaujolais) in small stainless-steel tanks, this crowd-pleasing red bursts with juicy plum, currant and black cherry flavors, with accents of clove, earth, and spice, all backed up with balanced tannins. Organically grown.

Más Que Vinos was founded in La Rioja in 1998 by three winemakers, Margarita Madrigal, Alexandra Schmedes and Gonzalo Rodriguez, each one with extensive winemaking experience. Seeing the great potential of the vineyards in Gonzalo’s hometown of Dosbarrios (outside Toledo), they launched their personal winery project rescuing old plots of indigenous grape varieties and moving to all organic viticulture. They renovated the old family winery (from 1851) and in 2007 constructed a new modern winery in nearby Cabañas de Yepes. This light-bodied Spanish red comes from organic, 50 year old vineyards outside Toledo in the region of Tierra de Castilla. 

The cheeky name and label refer to the threat the local rabbits pose to the vineyards! The biggest threat to these old vines are not the extreme conditions they face each year -- whipping winds, blistering heat, bitter cold, lack of rain -- it's rabbits. Cute as they may be, the destruction they cause is massive, taking out entire hectares of vineyards each year. Remember that when taking in that label art!