Sitting on his sun-dappled terrace overlooking his verdant vineyards in the Penedès region of Spain, and enjoying the warm late evening sun, wine maker and son of proprietor Antonio, Alex Garrido came upon an idea that is set to shake up the traditional sparkling wine market.
His epiphany was both simple yet extraordinarily technically complex. Garrido wanted to bring together his father’s four decades of experience producing premium wines in the heartlands of the country’s famous cava region, with organic and natural flavours to produce a completely new range of gently aromatic sparkling wines. His vision was to create a completely new category that would elevate the drinking experience and attract new people to try his wines.
That ambition became an obsession as the long-established family of winemakers turned alchemists and spent four years painstakingly developing a range that melds complex technology and winemaking talent to bring to the market a unique range of naturally-flavoured sparkling wines, produced using the traditional methode champenoise (the process used to make Champagne).
The results is Mevalonics, a completely new drink with no sugar or sulphites added. This is an organic product range blended during the second fermentation with organic terpenes – which are responsible for the smell and taste of all fruits and plants – to produce a stunning range of wines with notes of mango, mango rose, blueberry, peach, and Acapulco (cannabis, free of THC and CBD).
Not only that but the family has also introduced a visually stunning Luxe range comprising the same subtle flavours and aromas – Blu (blueberry), Groc (mango), Melo (peach) and Lit (cannabis) – but in naturally vibrant and eye-catching colours in clear bottles, designed to stand out within bars, clubs and venues, and including the exclusive Oro Gold 23K which features suspended gold flakes.
“While sparkling wines from around the wine growing regions of the world are very popular, my feeling was that there had been next to no game-changing innovation in this category for many years,” explains Alex Garrido. “Four years ago, we came up with this concept to change all that, but given the complex volatility of a naturally sparkling base product and the use of all-natural ingredients, it has taken a huge amount of work to bring to market something that satisfied our demanding standards.
“We believe Mevalonics will not only be hugely popular with customers, whether they are longstanding cava fans or have never tried the wine before, but also will provide a real point of differentiation for those offering our products.”
Indeed, the ranges are not only new, but truly one-of-a-kind. Garrido is the only winemaker in the world that has been able to achieve this subtle infusion of natural fruit notes within a sparkling wine and in doing so the company has established itself as a true pioneer, embracing the traditional wines that the Garrido family has been famously making for over 40 years as a premium base for these new products.
“The beautifully crafted and vibrant bottles will stand out in any bar, club or restaurant setting,” Garrido adds. “And just think of their impact at an event or a wedding, for example, where they really can create that magical wow factor. And of course we cannot ignore the potential to be shared on social media to help make incredible memories. It’s the true marriage of tradition and technology.”
In addition, to ensure that everyone can try their newly-perfected drinks, Garrido has also introduced a more accessible range, crafted from a young, high-quality organic wine with a low alcohol content of 7%, gently carbonated at low temperatures to achieve fine, delicate bubbles. The ready-to-drink Lonik range is free from added sugars and once again enriched with 100% natural terpenes for subtle fruit or herb notes, with the products having been designed to be easy to enjoy and perfect for any occasion at an affordable price.
Served in cans, the flavours available include mango, blueberry, peach, strawberry kiwi, watermelon mojito, cannabis, sangria rose and sangria, with the latter drinks a nod to the product’s Spanish heritage.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing is that this high technology innovation should come from such a traditional wine maker, providing the visually arresting range with an unrivalled authenticity and provenance.
The surname Garrido is a quintessential part of the wine history of the Penedès. Descendants of a generation dedicated to wine production in Jerez, a small city located in Spain’s arid south west and best known for its world class sherries, they decided in the 1970s to move to Sant Sadurní d'Anoia at the opposite corner of the country. With the dedication and professionalism accumulated over more than 35 years, they began to work in the famous Codorniu cava cellars.
In 1984, Antonio Garrido moved to open his own cava cellar and applied his extensive knowledge of traditional, artisanal winemaking skills. Adhering to the highest quality standards learned at Codorniu, and driven by his origins and personal obsession with controlled fermentation to achieve the most natural and organic product possible, the story of the Garrido vineyards began.
The Garrido family winery now sits in the Penedès region, just a few miles from the Mediterranean Sea, imbued with fertile land, caressed by coastal breezes and kissed by the Mediterranean sun, which imparts a unique and personal character to the wines. Blessed with a mild climate and ancient vines, the Garrido family has spent all these years working with sustainability in mind, crafting artisanal, authentic, top-quality sparkling wines truly respectful of their environment.
“For us, the introduction of Mevalonics and Lonik are the culmination of our longstanding wine making history and our desire to bring something new and exciting to consumers that expresses modernity and fun but embraces our past,” says Garrido. “We like to think that we have bottled technology and talent.”
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