With Contino Blanco, Contino wants to return to the traditional Rioja whites with ageing potential, balance and freshness. A wine that is not overly woody with a predominantly floral and fruity aroma, in addition to structure and character provided by the barrel tannins and fat from the concrete egg tank.
The Contino white wine is produced from Viura and Garnacha Blanca grapes. The Garnacha Blanca grape is harvested from the San Gregorio Encina estate, planted in 1980 on calcareous clay soil. The Viura comes from different areas of Contino, including the alluvial soils of the old Lentisco estate, the stony soils of the San Gregorio La Tabla, and the Santa María estate. All the vineyards are between 35 and 40 years old.
The whole bunches are destemmed and placed in a stainless steel tank. The versatility of the steel facilitates pellicular maceration for a few hours. After this process, the wine is bled and pressed prior to alcoholic fermentation, which lasts for 20 days. Once fermentation is complete, 30% of the wine is transferred to a concrete tank, while the remaining 70% goes into new and used barrels of different types and capacities, ranging between 400 litres and 500 litres, where it remains for ten months.
Pairs well with shellfish, appetizers, snacks, lean fish, and cured meat.