Vinos Ambiz, Alba Pet Nat

A hazy orange pet nat, peach, apricot and mango backed up with a slight caramel note and a subtle creaminess. Comples and a bit crazy but totally delicious!

Grapes: Albillo

Place: Madrid/Ávila, Spain

ABV: 11%

Colour: Sparkling Orange

Vintage: 2020

PRODUCER PROFILE

Fabio Bortolomei, who grew up in Scotland to Italian parents, moved to Madrid over 20 years ago. It was not too long afterwards, in 2003, when he decided to pursue a personal interest (and family tradition) in winemaking. An intuitive winemaker in every sense, he began by making wine in friend’s garages with grapes from plots he rented off men and women too old to work them anymore.

The climate in Sierra de Gredos, like that of Madrid city, is continental. Very hot in summer and cold in winter, yet the elevation of this region means that the grapes maintain enough freshness to never bake. The granite/sand soil drains well and retains heat, helping the ripening process. The soil is nutrient poor, forcing the vines to work harder, increasing complexity and that edgy acidity and tang from the granite bedrock.

Variety and experimentation are a couple of the driving forces in Fabio’s winemaking and for this reason every year he tries new and different winemaking methods. He vinifies using amphora, stainless steel, plastic and oak barrels as well as concrete and will rarely ever produce more than 1000 bottles of any one cuvee.