Finca Museum Rosé Cigales
Finca Museum is based in Cigales, a small Castilla y León DO east of Valladolid. Although the area was once known for its dry rosados (or Clarete), a result of co-fermenting field blends of red and white varieties, it is the Tinta del País, a thicker-skinned Tempranillo, that excels today. As the name suggests, the winery is also a museum, boasting sculptures and paintings dating back to the 17th century.
The extreme continental climate of Cigales (with temperatures ranging from 40°C in the summer to -10°C in the winter) and its soils poor in organic matter, combine to ensure both low yields and excellent wines. The soils are so poor that other crops such as cereal cannot grow. It is primarily for this reason that the vines, many now over 40 years old, have survived in Cigales. These low-yielding, high-elevation bush vines, planted up to 800m above sea level, produce very thick-skinned grapes, resulting in wines of intense colour and concentration. Finca Museum owns 185 hectares of vineyards, with a further 100 hectares of old bush vines (over 50 years old) bought from growers on long-term contracts. All their vineyards are hand-harvested, with great care taken in selecting the grapes before crushing. An average of five per cent of the grapes are rejected during this selection process. In 2023, Finca Museum was certified by Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection (SWfCP), the first and only certification specifically designed for the wine sector regarding environmental sustainability.