Mencía (Spain)
Mencía is a medium bodied red wine grape from North West Spain and Portugal.
The aromatic grape is known as Jaen in Portugal.
Mencía Flavors
Mencía has floral aromas, combined with fresh red and black fruits like strawberry, raspberry, cherry, black plum, and a touch of licorice and fig.
 Raspberry |
 Strawberry |
 Cherry |
 Plum |
 Violets |
 Fig |
 Licorice |
 Gravel |
Flavors from Maturation and Aging
 Oak |
 Vanilla |
 Coffee |
 Tobacco |
Mencía Profile
Mencía has firm tannins and lot of fruit:
| SUGAR: | Dry (3 g/l) |
| BODY: | Medium |
| TANNINS: | Medium |
| FRUIT: | Medium - Plus |
| ACIDITY: | Medium - High |
| ALCOHOL: | 12.5-13.5% ABV |
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Serving temperature: 17-18°C (63-64°F) |
Mencía Food Pairing
Mencía is peppery and rich so it is excellent with Meat, Fowl and rich Veggie Dishes.
 Tapas |
 Sausages |
 Ham |
 Mushroom |
 Duck |
 Turkey |
 Lamb |
 Veal |
Excellent Pairing
Tapas. Cured Meat.
Sausages. Pepper Sauce. Hamburger.
Asian Marinated Dishes. Duck.
Lamb. Lamb Shanks.
Pork. Rich Suckling Pig. Pork Belly.
Game in Cherry Sauce. Rich Veggies.
Wild Rice Dishes. Mushroom Risotto.
Rich Poultry. Turkey. Roasted Duck.
BBQ. Spare Ribs. Mustard Sausages.
Spanish Specialities
Tapas. Chorizo (Spicy Pork Sausage).
Paella (Rice dish with Rabbit, Chicken, or Duck).
Portuguese Specialities
Cabrito Assado (Roasted Goat).
Bacalao com Natas (Bacalao with Potatoes).
The Ideal Glass for Mencía
The Burgundy Glass is for swirling & releasing the wine aromas.
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The shape of the glass captures and directs the delicate aromas to your nose
and leads the wine to the tip of your tongue for a better reception of the tastes.
The Burgundy glass was designed for the delicate and aromatic red wine Bourgogne Rouge, made from Pinot Noir grapes in Bougogne (Burgundy). |
Mencía Cheese Pairing
About Mencía
This grape is called Mencia in Spain, and Jaen in Portugal
Mencía is an aromatic red wine grape primarly grown in the Ribeira Sacra DO and Valdeorras DO regions in Galicia in the nortwest of Spain.
It is also planted in Bierzo DO in Castilla y Leon.
In Portugal the main growing regions are Dao and Beira Interior.
The schist soils of the hillsides of Galicia add concentration and the high altitude climate adds rich fruit aromas.
Mencía aromatic qualities are also related to volatile compounds called Terpenoids responsible for the pungent herbal and fruity character.
Mencía is similar to Pinot Noir, Gamay, Schiava or cool climate Merlot, just with some more tannins.
Mencía is known for fruity, light red wines enjoyed when young.
Wine Region Galicia
Galicia is a located in north-west Spain.
It is best known for its crisp white wines Albariño and Godello.
Black Grapes
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White Grapes
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Mencía |
Albariño Godello Treixadura |
Red Wines
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White Wines
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Ribeira Sacra |
Albariño Godello Treixadura |
Soil
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Climate |
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Alluvial Granite Schist Slate |
Hilly Cool Climate Atlantic Ocean |
Galicia DO Regions
Galicia has 5 Denominación de Origen:
Rias Baixas (DO 1988)
Rias Baixas DO (lower Rias), close to Portugal, is known to produce the best Albariño in the world.
In Portugal the same grape is called Alvarinho.
Ribeira Sacra (DO 1996)
Ribeira Sacra is best known for the dry red wine Ribeira Sacra from the Mencía grape.
Ribeiro (DO 1932)
Ribeiro is the oldest DO in Galicia
White wines represent 95% of the wine produced in Ribeiro, and is most common is Treixadura.
Monterrei (DO 1994)
Monterrei has become a relevant wine region after of the wines were praised by wine critic Robert M. Parker in 2008.
Valdeorras (DO 1945)
Valdeorras is a historic Galician wine region.
Located along the Sil River valley, it is famous for its native Godello white and Mencía red wines, which thrive in a unique microclimate and mineral-rich slate soils.
Godello is the undisputed star of the region. Nearly extinct fifty years ago, it was successfully rescued and now produces elegant, crisp white wines with notes of stone fruit, minerality, and vibrant acidity.
Mencía is the flagship red grape, yielding medium-bodied wines with red berry aromas, fresh acidity, and subtle earthy or floral undertones.
Geography & Climate
Location: Spanning 1,000 hectares in the northeastern part of the Ourense province, acting as the "Gateway to Galicia".
Soil: Vineyards sit primarily on steep, terraced slopes rich in slate, granite, and quartzite.
Climate: Transitional Mediterranean-Atlantic. It is Galicia's most inland sub-region, featuring warmer summers, cold winters, and high sun exposure that optimally ripens the grapes.