Cosecha literally means harvest and, in the context of Rioja, is made without extended ageing in cask. Designed to be consumed young, usually described as fresh, vibrant, fruit driven – these are taverna wines. Like all classifications, it’s important to look past simple definitions like Crianza and Cosecha, to the producers themselves, the styles of wines they wish to make, their vineyard sources and their methods.
Recently I attended a lunch, courtesy of a Hunter Valley producer, to taste his latest offerings. Asked how a particular wine was made he answered with something like “We do three picks for freshness, richness and structure. Wild ferments, some whole bunch, some whole berry, a bit of carbonic, with a mix of maceration times and gentle punch downs. Ageing is done in a mix of old oak, from 500L puncheons to a large fudre, and Amphorae. No press wine is added. Minimal sulphur at bottling, no fining or filtration. We really wanted to express the site and capture the freshness of the vintage”. And any acid adjustments?, “not this year, but in warmer vintages, we have to.” So much effort, technology and mind bending expertise – any thoughts that I might make wine one day, vanished.
Akutain’s vineyards, all 6.5 hectares of them are located in the Rioja Alta zone. High elevation, red calcareous soils, with varying levels of clay and limestone, echoing the soils of the Hunter Valley. Centuries of wine growing has ensured that vines are where they need to be and the traditional processes have evolved according to geography and the accidents of history. This is how the 2019 Akutain Cosecha Rioja was made.
Hand picked Tempranillo grapes are destemmed and lightly crushed before natural fermentation in fibreglass vats. There is no temperature control and no additions except sulphur. Ageing is short, less than a year, and the wine is left to naturally stabilise in tank before being bottled without filtration.
Intense, abundant and fresh aromatics of roses, violets, cardamon, fennel, black fruits, blueberry, iodine and nutmeg. No cherry cola here. Made simple but super complex. Hedge fruits, blackberry, blueberry, mulberry and blood plum. Savoury palate with licorice-laden, mineral tannins. Again that cardamon, becoming pithy, as if you can taste and feel the seeds and skins and pulp. Long, super long, the savouriness giving way to grippy black tea tannins. The tannins are prominent, but not chewy – I love the classic skinsy tannins found in European wines and rarely elsewhere.
Cosecha wines along with Joven are at the bottom of the Rioja pyramid. They are also the cheapest, most versatile at table, the purest of vineyard and regional expression and will give more than a few years of absolutely delicious drinking. And in the case of Akutain, as natural as they come. No tricks. Grapes grown well and where they should be, picked when necessary and made simply. Such are the enormous advantages of Europe’s ancient wine regions.
