Wednesday, August 26, 2026 white wine review is a lovely, unoaked Verdejo from Rueda, Spain, that was included as part of the feature on wines "Beyond Chardonnay" in the LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, with plenty of inventory available at LCBO outlets across Ontario.
It is produced by Beronia, a bodega that was established in La Rioja, Spain, in 1973 by a group of friends that were united in their love of gastronomy and had a mission to create great wines to complement their culinary creations. Situated in the Rioja Alta village of Ollauri, within a landscape shaped by the River Ebro and the Cantabrian Mountains, the winery is rooted in the region and pays tribute to the Celtic tribe — Los Berones — who inhabited the region in 3rd Century B.C. In 1982, Beronia joined González Byass, a large, family-owned Spanish wine group.
In 2017, Beronia expanded into Rueda and created a winery solely for the production of Verdejo, a Spanish variety whose home is in Rueda. Today, they have 65 hectares of vines in Rueda, all dedicated to the production of their award-winning Verdejo wines. The stony, alluvial, and free-draining soils are rich in minerals, encouraging the vines to work hard for water and resulting in wines that are rich, aromatic, and flavourful.
Both wineries were specifically created for optimal sustainable production. Everything from the design and materials of the buildings to the technological innovations inside has been developed to promote maximum efficiency and minimal impact on the environment. They strive for the perfect balance between honouring local traditions while using advanced, modern practices to make the very best wines that their land can produce.
To craft this 100% Verdejo, the grapes were mechanically harvested at night to maintain fruit freshness and prevent oxidation through expedited processing. The grapes were gently pressed in an inert atmosphere to minimize browning in the must, while separation of musts was also performed based on their quality. It was fermented in both stainless steel and concrete tanks with selected yeasts at a controlled-temperature of between 14–17ºC for 10–15 days. Fermenting in stainless steel provides for absolute control over temperature and fermentation speed, and results in wines with clean, complex, and intense aromas. Fermentation in concrete promotes wine contact with lees, along with the vessel's porosity (micro-oxygenation) that helps achieve wines with a great mouthfeel. After ageing on its lees for 2 to 3 months, with weekly stirrings, the wines were clarified, filtered, blended, and bottled.
To craft this 100% Verdejo, the grapes were mechanically harvested at night to maintain fruit freshness and prevent oxidation through expedited processing. The grapes were gently pressed in an inert atmosphere to minimize browning in the must, while separation of musts was also performed based on their quality. It was fermented in both stainless steel and concrete tanks with selected yeasts at a controlled temperature of between 14–17ºC for 10–15 days. Fermenting in stainless steel provides precise control over temperature and fermentation speed, resulting in wines with clean, complex, and intense aromas. Fermentation in concrete promotes greater lees contact, while the vessel's porosity allows gentle micro-oxygenation that helps achieve wines with a great mouthfeel. After ageing on its lees for 2 to 3 months, with weekly stirrings, the wines were clarified, filtered, blended, and bottled.
One of the most distinctive features of this wine is Beronia's ability to preserve a portion of the freshly pressed must in cold storage and delay its alcoholic fermentation until the following spring. This allows the winery to produce freshly fermented Verdejo well beyond the normal harvest period, helping to preserve the wine's vibrant freshness and intense varietal aromas.
In 2025, the growing season across Spain was almost unanimously declared as "exceptional". One of the main factors that influenced the vintage was the return of rainfall, after several years of severe drought conditions. This helped the vineyards recover, but also led to mildew pressure after the spring rains. Heat waves in June and August caused a reduction in yields, but did not compromise quality. In DO Rueda, slow and homogeneous ripening led to grapes with excellent alcohol levels, balanced acidity, and intense varietal aromas, especially in the region's signature grape — Verdejo. From an excellent vintage, let's see how this 2025 Verdejo from Rueda is tasting tonight...
Screw cap. Clean, medium to medium-high intensity nose is fresh and gently spicy with ripe lemon citrus, golden apple, pear, saline, and leesy mineral aromas, plus touches of white floral and herbs. On the dry, medium+ bodied palate it is refreshingly vibrant with lively acidity lifting the delicious lemon citrus, golden apple, pear, saline, leesy mineral, spice, and herbal flavours with an underlying savoury earth note. It has a lovely, textured mouthfeel throughout with lemon, apple, saline, and mineral notes lingering on the long, juicy finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 89 pts
Quite a few wines by Beronia are available at the LCBO, while the full range can be ordered through their Agent - Woodman Wines & Spirits.
It is produced by Beronia, a bodega that was established in La Rioja, Spain, in 1973 by a group of friends that were united in their love of gastronomy and had a mission to create great wines to complement their culinary creations. Situated in the Rioja Alta village of Ollauri, within a landscape shaped by the River Ebro and the Cantabrian Mountains, the winery is rooted in the region and pays tribute to the Celtic tribe — Los Berones — who inhabited the region in 3rd Century B.C. In 1982, Beronia joined González Byass, a large, family-owned Spanish wine group.
In 2017, Beronia expanded into Rueda and created a winery solely for the production of Verdejo, a Spanish variety whose home is in Rueda. Today, they have 65 hectares of vines in Rueda, all dedicated to the production of their award-winning Verdejo wines. The stony, alluvial, and free-draining soils are rich in minerals, encouraging the vines to work hard for water and resulting in wines that are rich, aromatic, and flavourful.
Both wineries were specifically created for optimal sustainable production. Everything from the design and materials of the buildings to the technological innovations inside has been developed to promote maximum efficiency and minimal impact on the environment. They strive for the perfect balance between honouring local traditions while using advanced, modern practices to make the very best wines that their land can produce.
To craft this 100% Verdejo, the grapes were mechanically harvested at night to maintain fruit freshness and prevent oxidation through expedited processing. The grapes were gently pressed in an inert atmosphere to minimize browning in the must, while separation of musts was also performed based on their quality. It was fermented in both stainless steel and concrete tanks with selected yeasts at a controlled-temperature of between 14–17ºC for 10–15 days. Fermenting in stainless steel provides for absolute control over temperature and fermentation speed, and results in wines with clean, complex, and intense aromas. Fermentation in concrete promotes wine contact with lees, along with the vessel's porosity (micro-oxygenation) that helps achieve wines with a great mouthfeel. After ageing on its lees for 2 to 3 months, with weekly stirrings, the wines were clarified, filtered, blended, and bottled.
To craft this 100% Verdejo, the grapes were mechanically harvested at night to maintain fruit freshness and prevent oxidation through expedited processing. The grapes were gently pressed in an inert atmosphere to minimize browning in the must, while separation of musts was also performed based on their quality. It was fermented in both stainless steel and concrete tanks with selected yeasts at a controlled temperature of between 14–17ºC for 10–15 days. Fermenting in stainless steel provides precise control over temperature and fermentation speed, resulting in wines with clean, complex, and intense aromas. Fermentation in concrete promotes greater lees contact, while the vessel's porosity allows gentle micro-oxygenation that helps achieve wines with a great mouthfeel. After ageing on its lees for 2 to 3 months, with weekly stirrings, the wines were clarified, filtered, blended, and bottled.
One of the most distinctive features of this wine is Beronia's ability to preserve a portion of the freshly pressed must in cold storage and delay its alcoholic fermentation until the following spring. This allows the winery to produce freshly fermented Verdejo well beyond the normal harvest period, helping to preserve the wine's vibrant freshness and intense varietal aromas.
In 2025, the growing season across Spain was almost unanimously declared as "exceptional". One of the main factors that influenced the vintage was the return of rainfall, after several years of severe drought conditions. This helped the vineyards recover, but also led to mildew pressure after the spring rains. Heat waves in June and August caused a reduction in yields, but did not compromise quality. In DO Rueda, slow and homogeneous ripening led to grapes with excellent alcohol levels, balanced acidity, and intense varietal aromas, especially in the region's signature grape — Verdejo. From an excellent vintage, let's see how this 2025 Verdejo from Rueda is tasting tonight...
Tasting Note:
BERONIA RUEDA VERDEJO 2025 - Vegan, DO Rueda, Spain (#461327) (XD) - $16.95Screw cap. Clean, medium to medium-high intensity nose is fresh and gently spicy with ripe lemon citrus, golden apple, pear, saline, and leesy mineral aromas, plus touches of white floral and herbs. On the dry, medium+ bodied palate it is refreshingly vibrant with lively acidity lifting the delicious lemon citrus, golden apple, pear, saline, leesy mineral, spice, and herbal flavours with an underlying savoury earth note. It has a lovely, textured mouthfeel throughout with lemon, apple, saline, and mineral notes lingering on the long, juicy finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 89 pts
Quite a few wines by Beronia are available at the LCBO, while the full range can be ordered through their Agent - Woodman Wines & Spirits.
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