Winemaker Notes
Monitoring of the 2025 cycle was particularly careful in order to decide the right time to harvest, maintaining the acidity and a fresh fruit profile characteristic of garnacha. Flor de Muga Rosado 2025 has a bright, pale pink colour. On the nose, it displays marked aromatic intensity and outstanding complexity, with a predominance of stone fruit (peaches and apricots), accompanied by red berries, hints of white blossom and subtle citrus notes. At a second level, spicy nuances appear, conferred by the fermentation and lees working in small oak vats. On the palate, it is fresh and balanced, with lively acidity which provides tension and length. The fruit notes reappear, especially the apricot, with a long, fresh finish and fine tannins which confer structure and a gastronomic character.
Pair with pasta, rice, white meat and varieties of cheese.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
From Garnacha grown in Alto Najerilla, the 2025 Rosado Flor de Muga was aged on the lees, with about one-third fermented in 500-liter barrels. On the nose, cherry and sour cherry lead, joined by a touch of grenadine and delicate herbal tones. The palate is moderately rich, with a faintly malic edge and growing energy through the midsection. Recently bottled, it should come together more harmoniously in the near term.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
Highly regarded for distinctive and age-worthy red wines, Rioja is Spain’s most celebrated wine region. Made up of three different sub-regions of varying elevation: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental. Wines are typically a blend of fruit from all three, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta, at the highest elevation, is considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier Rioja Oriental produce wines with deep color and higher alcohol, which can add great body and richness to a blend.
Fresh and fruity Rioja wines labeled, Joven, (meaning young) see minimal aging before release, but more serious Rioja wines undergo multiple years in oak. Crianza and Reserva styles are aged for one year in oak, and Gran Reserva at least two, but in practice this maturation period is often quite a bit longer—up to about fifteen years.
Tempranillo provides the backbone of Rioja red wines, adding complex notes of red and black fruit, leather, toast and tobacco, while Garnacha supplies body. In smaller percentages, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan) often serve as “seasoning” with additional flavors and aromas. These same varieties are responsible for flavorful dry rosés.
White wines, typically balancing freshness with complexity, are made mostly from crisp, fresh Viura. Some whites are blends of Viura with aromatic Malvasia, and then barrel fermented and aged to make a more ample, richer style of white.