Absolut respect for the Verdejo variety
The cornerstone of the work carried out in Bodegas Naia has been a selection of old vines of the autochthonous Verdejo. They are untrained vines, and some are pre-philloxeric.
Bodegas Naia has 23.5 ha of own vineyards: 20 ha of which are gobelet trained vineyards with over 40 years of age and 2 ha of young (15 years of age) trellis vineyards. The rest are gobelet-trained Viura vineyards with over 35 years of age. Bodegas Naia works very closely with winegrowers from the region and it has established a strong and sustained relationship with them. These vineyards have an age range between 80 and 130 years.
One of the key elements of the success in Bodegas Naia is that within the large number of Verdejo clones currently used, the winery has always chosen to grow the original clone that was employed to make the first wines in the region. The commitment to this local clone has enabled Naia to extract the classic aromas of the Verdejo variety, setting it apart from others that have appeared in the Denomination in the past decades.
Vines are natural survivors
Regarding to the clima, the region of Rueda sits within a continental and Mediterranean area of influence. Due to its altitude (between 700-800 metres above sea level), it suffers extreme seasonal changes of temperature, with a difference of almost fifty degrees centigrade between the harsh winter and the dry, hot summer. In addition, the rainfall is scarce, registering an average annual precipitation that never exceeds 500 litres. These values turn the vines into natural survivors and favour a balance between the alcohol and acidity levels of the Verdejo clusters.
Some of the oldest vines in the region
The vines from which K-Naia, S-Naia and Naia are produced have been planted in calcareous clays, over which lie layers of sandy-clay soil mixed with cobbles.
Naiades is a wine barrel-aged for 7 months that expresses all the potential from the oldest vines in the region. It is made from centenary vines at 750 metres above sea level that are planted in calcareous-clay soils over which lie layers of sandy-clay soil mixed with cobbles. Another part of the vineyards is located in sandier soils, also with a bed of cobbles on the surface, and at a higher altitude of 800 meters.