Wish is a dreamy red wine made from a field blend of various indigenous Galician grapes from 80-year-old vines growing on the steep slopes of As Penelas, found at the limit of the prestigious Ribeiro D.O.
The unique vineyard sits between two rock ledges that hug and protect it, its steep incline and rock walls make it very labour intensive to cultivate and as a result it's usually the last plot that Xosé Lois Sebio harvests; hence the line on the label, "A Última Encosta" translating to "The Last Slope" from Gallego (the native language of Galicia).
The profile of the wine is very Atlantic, initially very direct with fruit and floral notes backed up by elegance and depth. Aromas of Lillies, red fruit, and blueberries with a soft mineral background of slate. On the palate, the wine is smooth with fine tannins that are balanced by good acidity; a defining quality of grapes from very old vines. The finish is long and intense, Wish is a wine with lots of character and it will age very well in the bottle.
When it comes to winemaking, Xose-Lois Sebio is both an innovator and a traditionalist. Quite possibly one of the most knowledgeable winemakers in Ribeiro, Galicia, Xose-Lois draws from his extensive experience in both the theory and practice of winemaking. He was born and grew up in Vigo, Galicia, a coastal city in northwest Spain not far from where he now makes some of his Viños de Encostas. At the University of Ourense in Galicia, Xose-Lois completed a degree in Agricultural Engineering and a Masters in Oenology. He studied alongside some of Galicia’s greats and formed a strong bond with the entire winemaking community of the region, which he further solidified by working at various wineries in Rias Baixas, Ribeiro, and several other regions.
It was during his studies that he met Ricardo Carreira, the owner of Coto de Gomariz, one of Ribeiro’s top-rated wineries. In 2002, Xose-Lois began working with Ricardo and together they pushed the envelope; planting vineyards, bringing new wines to market, and completely revitalizing Coto de Gomariz. Together they modernized the winery and showed the world the true potential of Ribeiro wines.
In 2010 Xose-Lois began work on his personal project, Viños de Encostas. He became obsessed with the idea of creating honest wines with no makeup and a distinct personality. With Viños de Encostas (wines of the slopes), Xose-Lois focuses on forgotten locations, off the beaten path, areas that are difficult to cultivate, all the while practicing unusual winemaking techniques.
Of the 10 wines that comprise Viños de Encostas, some are traditional and others radically innovative, but they all display the finest aspects of the native grapes and their terroirs. The vines are low-yielding and costly to cultivate, which means they are anything but conventional. They are all small-batch wines, some of them cultivated organically, others biodynamically, and some more conventionally, depending on the location and the topography of each vineyard. Xose-Lois’ objective is to create wines that express the unique identities of Galicia’s native grape varieties and their terroirs. All of Xose-Lois’ wines are low-intervention, low-sulphur, and made without any unnatural additives.
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