Gallina de Piel is an exciting winemaking project from David Seijas, the former Head Sommelier at three-Michelin-starred restaurant El Bulli. David aims to create versatile wines from Spain’s gastronomic northern regions, Catalonia, Aragon and Galicia. He works with local growers, selecting the best vineyards planted with indigenous grape varieties, to create wines that emphasise elegance and freshness.

‘Ikigall’ is an aromatic, organic white blend of Xarel-lo, Malvasia de Sitges and Muscat from Penedès, fermented in stainless steel before ageing for four months on its fine lees. The result is a fragrant wine with subtle orange blossom and fennel accents, offset by a crisp, saline palate. ‘Mimetic’ is sourced from 40 to 80-year-old Garnacha vines grown on deep, red clay soils with large surface pebbles in Aragon’s Calatayud appellation. This arid, desert landscape sits at 750 – 1,000 metres above sea level, with its hot continental climate tempered by cool nights which help retain refreshing acidity in the grapes. The final wine is aged in concrete for six months, creating a bright, juicy expression of Garnacha with lively freshness.

‘Roca del Crit’, which means ‘the screaming rock’, is a nod to the small, hidden cliff behind El Bulli where the sommeliers would go to let off steam after a hard shift. The wine blends Cariñena and Garnacha, sourced from two areas in the Empordà appellation on the Spanish/French border. The 85-year-old Cariñena vines are grown on the mountainous, slate soils of Rabós further inland, while the Garnacha comes from the rugged, coastal Cap de Creus where it grows on predominately granite soils. The Cariñena is aged for 10 months in 500 litre second and third-use barrels, while the Garnacha is fermented in stainless steel. The resulting wine is defined by notes of bright red and black cherry, blackberry and soft herbs, with a gentle balance of spice from the oak.

‘Manar dos Seixas’, from Ribeiro in Galicia, is a blend of local varieties Treixadura, Albariño, Godello and Loureiro. Grown in the Miño River valley, the vines experience the cooling influence of the Atlantic, morning fog and valley breezes, which promote slow ripening and concentrated aromatics of peach and chamomile. The wine is unoaked and aged on its fine lees for six to eight months to add a supple roundness on the mid-palate.

David has also been working on a project based in Tenerife. `Mazapé` comprises a blend of local white grape varieties Gual and Vijariego Blanco, planted on volcanic soils at an elevation of 160 meters, which lends an elegant minerality to the wine. The Gual is aged in concrete eggs for 4 months, while the Vijariego Blanco is fermented and aged in French oak barrels. Gual brings a distinctive, smoky complexity to the nose, and the Vijariego Blanco adds fresh nuances of pear, citrus peel, and fennel.