Autochthonous is a bit of a mouthful in English, but in Catalonia, specifically in the village of  Mas Vilella outside Tarragona, it simply stands for delicious wine made by Albert Jané. The winery’s name mean native, and Albert Jané returned to his home in southern Catalonia after a career in Montsant and Priorat, making some of Catalonia’s most famous wines with international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blended with native varieties. For his second act, Albert wanted to stick strictly with the grapes that grew up in the region, Malvasia de Sitges, Xarel.lo Vermell, and the red grape Sumoll. This is a rare grape capable of intense tannic structure, excitable acidity, and punchy flavors, so Albert ages his signature red in large oak barrels for 10 months to sand off the rough edges, and then bottle ages the wine for several years before release. The result is purring lion of a wine, with aromas of stewed boysenberry, tobacco, sandalwood, tar and smoked ham. Rich yet even tempered on the palate, the clay earthy soil comes through drenched in red berries and iron notes. This is a wine for sturdy foods cooked in the sun, for pork loin and spreads that include tinned fish, for roasted beets or potatoes dauphinoise.