Rocha, the Garnacha red from Casa Lo Alto has been rewarded with a Gold Medal in the organic and vegan wine contest organised by The Drink Business in the United Kingdom

Venta del Moro, 3 May 2023.- Six years have gone by since we began the new journey of Casa Lo Alto, and in that time we have learned a great deal about the estate’s vineyards. After successive trial and error tests and interpreting the variables produced by the weather every year, we reached 2021 much more focused on exactly when to harvest each plot, precisely differentiating terrain, altitude and orientation. This allowed us to pick very fresh fruit.

Rocha 2021 is made with Garnacha grapes from three plots on the estate. Some of the bunches are vatted whole, and the must ferments with wild yeasts in concrete tanks and French oak foudres, where malolactic fermentation is completed. After a few months of bottling, it is noticeably more refined, as the tannins soften, offering the freshest sensations the Mediterranean mountain climate can produce in a red wine. Wild strawberries, floral nuances, spices and hints of undergrowth appear, making Rocha – the Garnacha from Casa Lo Alto – so delicious and special.

All this effort and dedication is rewarded by the great appreciation our wines receive, both from the most demanding consumers and from international juries. This is demonstrated by the important awards they win, such as the most recent Gold Medal in the Global Organic & Vegan Wine Masters event, which joins the Grand Gold, top 50 and best in show achieved by Manzán 2020 in the Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada contest, and the extraordinary 93 points James Suckling has awarded us to the Manzán 2020 (Bobal) and Rocha 2020 (Garnacha). Manzán 2020 also holds a Gold Medal from the Challenge International du Vin.

Casa Lo Alto’s splendid setting

Founded in 1796, dominating a hill at an altitude of 740 metres, Casa Lo Alto is a wine-growing estate consisting of a manor house and its agricultural and wine-making outbuildings, together with 150 hectares of rainfed crops. These include more than 60 hectares of vineyards, including native grapes such as Bobal, Garnacha and Tardana, as well as some international varieties. All this is surrounded by Mediterranean forest, with pines, holm oaks and scrubland which, according to the connoisseurs, are reflected in our wines.

An internationally prestigious competition for organic wines

The Global Organic & Vegan Wine Masters is a competition specialising in all styles of organic and vegan wines, which are increasingly valued and sought after by consumers. It is organised by the publishers of the British magazine The Drinks Business and has a highly qualified tasting panel made up of Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers and senior buyers. This guarantees international recognition for the awards given. The judges rate the wines, presented in a blind tasting, exclusively by style and price.