The vineyards of Bodega Tandem sit at an altitude of 500-700 metres above sea level, with a wide variety of soil types that contribute to the unique character of their wines. The winery produces a range of red, white, and rosé wines, all made from sustainably farmed grapes grown on their own estate.

The winemaking philosophy of Bodega Tandem is focused on creating high-quality wines that are expressive of their terroir. The winery employs traditional winemaking techniques, including hand harvesting and careful selection of grapes, to ensure that only the best fruit is used in their wines.  Interestingly, the winery also boasts a super old-school screw press that they use to create an extra dimension in the structure of certain wines. They also use modern winemaking equipment, such as temperature-controlled fermentation tanks, to maintain the purity and freshness of their wines.

From the outside, the winery itself could easily be mistaken for a modern art museum with brutalist architecture built into the north-facing hillside.  Inside is a state-of-the-art gravity powered operation that takes advantage of the hillside setting to transfer the wine from one stage of production to the next without the need for electrically powered pumps.

The winemaking takes advantage of stainless steel, concrete and oak barrels to produce balanced, complex wines influenced by the Atlantic breezes from the north west of the region.  Whilst Tandem make no claim to producing natural wine styles, they do incorporate wild yeast fermentations into their process and bottle without any fining or filtration.  This low intervention approach means that, particularly for the reds, you can expect a degree of sediment at the end of your bottle.

The winery’s flagship wine is the Ars Nova, a blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  Aged for twenty-four months in concrete vats, followed by a further nine in French oak barriques, this is a rich, full-bodied wine with plenty of black fruit and subtle hints of spice, tobacco and leather.

Bodega Tandem also produces a range of single-varietal wines, including Garnacha, Graciano, and Viognier.  Our pick of the reds was the Inmune, a wine produced from 100% Garnacha.  The Atlantic influence is clear to see as the wine has a deliciously light, juicy texture with plenty of crunchy red fruit notes.  It’s a far cry from some of the oak heavy counterparts from neighbouring wine regions.

Our favourite of the white wines was the Inmacula.  A Viura (Macabeo) lead blend which incorporates Viognier to good effect with floral nuances and a peachy stone fruit character on the palate with just a hint of salinity.

Jose Maria Fraile and winemaker Alicia Eyaralar are passionate about what they do and are committed to producing wines of the highest quality. They are involved in every aspect of the winemaking process, from tending to the vines to blending and bottling the wines. They are also dedicated to promoting the Navarra wine region and showcasing the unique character of its wines.

This month we’re offering 15% off all wines from Navarra.  Browse our selection here.