Flvminis means liquid in Latin. The v is the Roman u, so the name is pronounced “Fluminis”. It is also a play on words on Jesús last name - del Rio’s - since it actually also means “from the River”. The aim of the wine is to be drunken, not tasted. And to be enjoyed with food and still be interesting. Such a wine has to be powerful without taking over the food. It needs to have the acidity and fruit to keep up with the fat and the strong flavours in Catalan food. Yet, it has to be balanced and soft.
Flvminis is fermented at medium temperatures, and then 40% of it is stored in oak. The grape mix is blended before oak ageing and oak ageing is only carried out until the oak has oxidised the wine nicely. Mostly, new French oak is used, not to get oak flavours, but because the oxidation in new barrels creates a better structure, and if the wine is strong enough to take the oak, it conserves its flavours.
Newly opened, it is
a medium bodied fruity wine with minerals and delicate, weak flavours.
As it gets air it quite quickly evolves into a richer wine with stronger
flavours and a nice balance between red cassis fruit and darker aromas
as cedar and plum. It maintains these aromas and develops into more and
more complexity as the bottle gets more air, bringing out more minerals,
oriental spices and flowers.