Wine of the week
Bill Bolloten tastes a Tintilla that expresses the wilder side of Cádiz
Tintina Córchelo 2018, (Bodegas Luis Pérez)
VT Cádiz
ABV: 13.5%
Variety: Tintilla de Rota
€21.50 from Decántalo (2023 vintage)
This is the first of a short series exploring Cádiz’s native red grape, Tintilla de Rota, through the work of different producers. The aim is to demonstrate that this once nearly extinct variety is far more than a curiosity: it’s a grape of serious pedigree with the capacity to express its place.
I’ve written about this variety before, and it continues to surprise me. In earlier pieces, I explored the Tintilla Nude from Bodegas Barbadillo, and the Rosado crafted by Bodega de Forlong.
Few have done more to revive Tintilla than Willy Pérez, the winemaker behind Bodegas Luis Pérez, whose Corchuelo is part of a trilogy of terroir-driven Tintilla wines from three distinct pagos of Jerez.
Together, the three wines aim to showcase the influence of site, highlighting the nuanced terroir of each pago and its specific parcels.
Tintilla de Rota, a grape that shares its DNA with Rioja’s Graciano, was once Jerez’s principal red variety. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the richly coloured, often sweet, aromatic wines it produced were highly prized, particularly in the British market.
However, shifting consumer tastes and the spread of coastal housing developments led to its near extinction in the 20th century.
The Corchuelo terroir
The Corchuelo pago, located in Finca Vistahermosa, lies on unique soils composed of gypsum-rich marls alternating with layers of albariza that give wines minerality, roundness and concentration.
For the 2018 vintage, the grapes underwent careful selection before being vinified in small stainless-steel tanks and open barrels, with 60% of the bunches left unstemmed. The wine then spent 12 months in six-year-old oak barrels, followed by additional months in tanks before bottling.
In the glass
This wine offers a sensory experience that reveals the unique organoleptic profile of Tintilla. The dark, brooding colour announces its intensity from the start.
The nose opens with wild red and black berries, with hints of dried herbs, spice, tar and smoke. It’s dense and fleshy, yet at the same time quite light with a juicy core lifted by bright acidity. There’s a ferrous, meaty undertone that’s almost gamey, recalling the earthiness of Mencía but with a deeper Andalusian warmth.
The Tintilla Corchuelo is such a unique and super-authentic wine. Bridging past and present, it proves that heritage can be as much forward-looking as historic.
Stay tuned for more on how Andalusian winemakers are showcasing Tintilla’s potential.