Silice Viticultores
Silice Viticultores
+ History
Silice Viticultores is a collaboration between Fredi Torres and brothers Juan and Carlos Rodriguez. All three of them were born in Galician. Fredi moved away when he was young while Carlos and Juan grew up in the canyons of the River Sil. They came together in 2013 to realize a dream of recuperating old vines on the impressively steep and rugged banks of the Amandi sub-zone of Ribeira Sacra and making a wine to honor their homeland.
Silice Viticultores Blanco
+ Wine Story
Ribeira Sacra is known for the reds from Mencía (although truthfully usually a Mencía heavy blend) but there are plenty of white vines growing there too. Often a hodgepodge of varieties interplanted with the reds. Although Fredi likes to incorporate white grapes into his red cuvées, he and his partners Juan and Carlos saw the potential of the white grapes on their own and the Blanco was born.
+ Technical Details
VARIETIES: Treixadura, Pedro Ximenz, Albariño, Godello, Blanco Lexitimo, Doña Blanco
VINEYARDS: Terraced vineyards in the Amadi zone on Ribeira Sacra. The whites are often interplanted with the reds. The vine age varies from 10 to 100+ years old.
FARMING: Organic with biodynamic principles
WINEMAKING: Grapes crushed and cofermented in concrete. Aging is a mix of steel and wood, depending on vintage, up to 30% new.
Silice Viticultores Tinto
+ Wine Story
Now that we know Fredi Torres pretty well, it occurs to us that this wine was destined to be made. He has an insatiable curiosity about new/different wine regions, he has roots and friends in Galicia, he is drawn to beautiful and dramatic vineyards and he loves making lighter styled, old school, fresh red wines. All of this comes together perfectly with Carlos and Juan in Ribeira Sacra. Although the vines for this wine are in the heart of the region, the wine does not use the DO of Ribera Sacra. After having issues with the regulatory body during the first vintage, they decided to forego the designation all together.
+ Technical Details
VARIETIES: 85% Mencía, 15% others (Garnacha Tintorera, Brancellao, Merenzao, some whites)
VINEYARDS: Various terraced sites in the Amadi Zone of Ribeira Sacra. Vines aged 20 to 100+ years.
FARMING: Organic with biodynamic principles
WINEMAKING: 30% whole cluster. Vinified and aged in a mix of steel, concrete egg and foudre. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.