Wineries

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CASA ABRIL SELECTIONS, Sustainable wines from Spain, from the vine to your glass. 

My Story. My Wines.

April Cullom began her love affair with Spain over 30 years ago; her passion for the country’s culture has been an inspiration and a focus for the last 15 years in the wine industry. Today, April has drawn on her love of Spain to create Casa Abril Selections, including Casa Abril, meaning “April’s house wine,” and Alma de Vino, meaning the “soul of wine.” These wines are a labor of love and a collaborative effort between April and close friends who happen to be Spanish winemakers. While they strive to make delicious wines, perfect for any occasion, April and her team wish to showcase Spain front and center. Each wine expresses the earth from which it came, a “terroir-trilogy,” which encompasses the climate, soil and topology. The goal is to have the native grape varietals speak for themselves while representing nature at its best.

Artisanal wines with a sense of place, handcrafted by small family-run wineries with the utmost respect for Mother Nature.  

Casa Abril and Alma de Vino wines proudly belong to a group of family-run wineries sharing the same philosophy of viticulture and winemaking, respect for Mother Nature.

If you are an on/off-premise buyer, please visit us here for wholesale pricing (NY/NJ): www.sevenfifty.com/lists/1990139 

Casa Abril ~ www.CasaAbrilVino.com @CasaAbrilVino

Casa Abril is about friends, fun and life. April drew inspiration for the label design from 1920s vintage posters that showcased cultures from around the world enjoying life. In Spain, the culture encourages one to enjoy life by going tapa-hopping with friends, also known as “ir de tapas.” Both the white and red wines from Casa Abril are meant to pair with a variety of dishes and be “palate-wallet-pleasers” for amigos dining out or relaxing in. A house wine, whether in a restaurant or at home, should reflect the warmth and hospitality of friendship, which is exactly what Casa Abril wines evoke.

 

CASA ABRIL GODELLO


 The winery is near A Rua in D.O. Valdeorras ~ “valle de oro”, a valley near the Roman goldmine ruins “Las Medulas”, and the village of Montefurado, lie the Vidal family-owned Godello vines.  Atlantic-Continental climate contributes to the freshness and balanced fruit.

Viticulture: sustainable, dry farming, hand harvested.  10 hectares of 25-40 year old vines, planted facing southwest at 1,150 ft. planted in granite, slate and alluvial soils.  No chemical treatments in the vineyard.

Winemaking: cold maceration for 12 hours at 43F to retain freshness, alcoholic fermentation takes place in 25,000-liter stainless steel deposits at 64 F for 15 days. April & Alvaro selected the majority of the vines grown in slate for its minerality and to give the wine a touch of complexity the fermented juice was left on its lees for two months.

Production: 2.500 bottles

 

 

CASA ABRIL COUPAGE 

In the heartland of Don Quixote, you’ll find this small family-run winery making wine since the 17th century.  The climate is Continental, which means harsh winters and intense summer, but thanks to the altitude, temperatures drop at night and enable the grapes to retain acidity while the daily sunshine gently ripens the tannins, resulting in balanced fruit.

Viticulture: sustainable farming; The 60-year-old Tempranillo (original rootstock) bush vines are planted in the parcel “Monte Alto” at 800 m in sandy-clay soils, dry farming; Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon vines (espalier) are 15 – 20 years old, growing at 700 m in the parcel “Pancierto” in limestone, sandy-clay soils. In the Spring a green harvest is done to improve airflow and control production (6,000 kg/Ha); later during the ripening stages of Summer certain clusters of grapes are removed to further ensure quality and balanced fruit; harvest starts the last week of August and ends in October, and is done at night to preserve freshness in the grapes. No chemical treatments in the vineyard.

Winemaking: wine is produced at Bodegas Barreda in the province of Toledo.  Alcoholic fermentation takes place in 25,000-liter stainless steel deposits; maceration between 10 – 15 days depending on varietal; wine is transferred to epoxy-lined cement tanks for malo lactic fermentation prior to aging 5 months in French and American oak barrels (50% new).  April and the Barreda family chose to blend the old vine Tempranillo with younger vines of Syrah to add some notes of blackberry and spice notes and the Cabernet Sauvignon for a touch of black currant.   Very low in sulfites.

Production: 2,500 bottles

 

Alma de Vino ~ www.AlmaDeVinos.com @AlmaDeVinosSoulWinePlacePeople

The translation of Alma de Vino is “soul of wine.” To me, it goes deeper. I see Alma de Vino as the soul of wine, place, and people; it is meant to be enjoyed in good company over a fantastic, and long, meal. The red and white wines under the Alma de Vino label are hand-crafted from native Spanish varietals, with limited production. I matched the wines with paintings created by my uncle, Sergio Gonzalez Tornero; each wine is paired with the artwork that expresses its personality, emphasizing the singularity of the wine’s soul.

 

ALMA DE VINO, MAR Y MONTAÑA 

The 3rd generation family-run winery is located in the D.O. Ribeiro (Galicia’s oldest D.O.), just 50 miles inland from the North-West coast of Spain with 40 parcels of vines scattered amongst the Galician mountains; vines benefit from a unique Atlantic-Mediterranean micro-climate that allows grapes to ripen properly and yet retain acidity; the Miño river helps to moderate summer temperatures which can reach 100 F.

Viticulture: sustainable farming, 10 hectares of native Galician grapevines (ranging in age from 10 to 100 years old) are planted in a combination of soils, predominately granite with some sandy-loam, slate and pudding stones, at 900 feet on average; younger vines trained on espalier Guyot, the older vines in their original bush-vine form; orientation of vines depends on micro-climate; no chemical treatments in the vineyard.  .

Winemaking:
Wine is produced at Bodegas Cunqueiro in Castrelo do Miño.  48 hours cold maceration followed by fermentation in stainless-steel tanks and 3 months sur-lie, no oak. April Cullom and family enologist Oscar Fernandez created a special cuvée of native Galician varietals to achieve a high-acid, aromatic white wine, expressive of the local Galician terroir.

Production: 1.500 bottles

 

ALMA DE VINO, OLD VINE TEMPRANILLO 

Located in the northeast corner of Ribera del Duero, 120 miles north or Madrid, small parcels of century-year old vines at 3.000 feet are tucked away in Soria and Burgos provinces; the climate is extreme with harsh winters and scorching summers but thanks to the altitude temperatures during the summer drop at night, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly resulting in soft tannins, good acidity and bright fruit.

Viticulture: hand-harvested, sustainable farming; 100+-year old bush-vinessmall parcels in Baños de Valdearados (Burgos) at 900 meters, produces intense fruit with good structure while the parcels in Bocigas de Perales (Soria) at 998 meters, result in grapes with floral notes and hints of minerality thanks to the 1.5 meters of gravel in the soil supported by clay below which helps to maintain moisture in the summer. No chemical treatments in the vineyard.

Winemaking: wine is produced at Bodega Montebaco in Valbuena de Duero.  April Cullom and César Muñoz crafted a blend of the two parcels of Tempranillo; maceration takes place in 8,000 liter oak vats with manual pump-overs; malo-lactic fermentation follows in French and American oak barrels, and later spends 24 months aging in French oak barrels (25% new) with a presence of lees to conserve the personality of the wine; no stabilization or fining resulting in a possibility of presence of sediment. Very low in sulfites.

Production: 1.500 bottles


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