Mencia is the epitome of Spanish freshness. Genetically identical to Portugal’s jaen grape, mencia has had huge success in Spain thanks to acute winemaking know-how, conjuring freshness, authenticity and drinkability in red wines from Galicia and Castilla y Leon. Bierzo, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras are prominent DO appellations to be sought out.

Like many neglected grapes, mencia was once considered a little simple and rustic. Young vines planted on plain, fertile land often translate into wines of significant volume, even though mencia is not known for its yields.

But this promising variety has undergone a revival since the discovery of some old vines rooted in the poor but slate-rich soils on steep hillsides, a terroir that conjures up the landscape of Priorat, and this has had a big impact on mencia’s quality. These old vines produce grapes concentrated in tangy flavors but rarely get too jammy or candied fruit-like, producing wines with focused, fresh fruit often featuring strawberries, dark cherries and plums, along with fine herbs and floral perfume. The bright, lively acidity of mencia can rinse the palate, making it extremely food-friendly, and the dense flavors are framed in a taut, grippy medium body, sometimes lightly peppery with a sense of minerality in the finish.

The styles of mencia also reflect well of the land and the vintage. Depending on where it is grown, it drifts from a fruity and lightly rustic gamay to a cool, spicy syrah, or from an ethereal, elegant pinot noir to a fresh, concentrated Loire cabernet franc, sometimes with a rich and spicy edge of grenache in a warmer year. The vibrant mencia makes wines that deserve to be appreciated in their own right.

That said, winemaking also gives mencia versatility, and what I find it tantalizing about this grape is that more thoughtful, avant-garde winemakers like Raul Perez and the Palacios have successfully conjured “naturalness” without deliberately making “natural wine”.

With minimal intervention to bring transparency and the uniqueness of the terroir into the glass, I sense that for mencia, “naturalness” is not a creed, but more like a concept. It sets no boundaries and does not bind the hands of winemakers, but creates honest and heartfelt wines that are closer to the vineyards than to the winery, more agricultural than they are industrial.

Today, mencia wines make up many of the hidden gems waiting to be discovered, especially by wine lovers who look for natural purity of fruit and drinkability. But don’t expect to be guided by labels and categories. “Naturalness” and “authenticity” come hand in hand with mencia wines, a byproduct perhaps of the free spirit of the people who make them.

Check out the following eight bottles we selected under $30 for mencia. These wines are a starting point for the exceptional values of mencia. With their fresh fruit and vibrant acidity,they go great with tacos or enchiladas!