Paco & Lola Mencia 2024, a different red wine

The Paco & Lola Mencia 2024 is one of the most interesting bets from the Galician winery Paco & Lola outside its classic white wine territory. Here, they bring their fresh and modern style to the Mencía grape in the D.O. Valdeorras, achieving a highly approachable and expressive result.

It is a young red wine made from 100% Mencía grapes, sourced from vineyards aged around 13–19 years, grown on granitic soils. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks with temperature control and prefermentative maceration allows the wine to express above all aroma and freshness, rather than heavy structure.

This already defines its style: a wine designed to be enjoyed young, direct, and very varietal.

With an alcohol content of 12.5% ABV, it shows a medium-intensity cherry red colour, with violet reflections when swirled, clearly indicating its youth.

On the nose, it is very intense despite being a young wine, with a clear presence of red fruit (raspberry, redcurrant), notes of stewed wild berries, floral hints such as violets, and a balsamic background.

On the palate, it offers a light and very fresh entry, a juicy and fruity mid-palate, balanced acidity that extends the wine, and a mineral and balsamic finish.

Overall: an agile, fresh, and very easy-drinking wine, with that “crunchy” sensation typical of well-made modern Mencía wines.

To decide

Approximate price: between €9.5 and €11.5 per 75 cl bottle depending on the retailer.

Where to buy it: you can find it in specialised online wine shops, as well as some general retail stores and supermarkets that stock Spanish wines.

Why it is worth it: because it represents a shift in perspective from a winery known for Albariño, now exploring Mencía while maintaining its fresh and modern identity. It is an Atlantic-style wine where lightness, fruit, and acidity take centre stage, compared to more structured expressions of Mencía.