In looking for wineries I look for cooperative and family run wineries that produce wines which represent both the land and their interpretation of the land. I like working with wineries that have consistent quality, no matter the vintage.

Located in Fontanars dels Alforins, a town in the southern part of Valencia, the winery sits in a long valley which is open to the winds from the Mediterranean. The property has been in the Velazquez Family since the late 1700’s, when the Jesuits were expelled from Spain by King Carlos III.

The soils in the upper valley are sandy-calcareous with a high content of stones and pebbles while the lower valley has clay soils with some sand, rich in humus and a high concentration (40%) of limestone.

The winery has the EU and, since 2008, the NOP organic certification. Their principal varietal is Monastrell (aka Mourvèdre) a grape native to the Mediterranean region of Spain that was brought to France in the middle ages. The name Mourvèdre derives from Murviedro, a town in Valencia and the origin of the initial plantings which were brought to Provence. More recently Los Frailes has planted Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon and is experimenting with other varietals to use as blending grapes to add character and complexity to their wines.

You can find out more about there wines here

The producer of the Naire and Valdecaz lines, is situated among the rolling hills and high plateaus of the Duero Valley in the Toro DO. The plateaus and slopes of the vineyard remain un-farmed, but instead were planted with native trees and vegetation, to allow for a balanced ecosystem where wildlife is abundant. Wild boar, fox, wild cats, as well as butterflies and other insects can be found. This helps to maintain a healthy vineyard, and inspired some of their label designs.

The vineyards sit at 750m (2,500ft) altitude with soils composed of silty clay from Pleistocene era sediments. The climate is continental with cold winters (in the mid-teens), and sunny hot summers with wider intraday temperature variations.

You can find out more about their wines here

This winery is located in Abalos, a small town in the northeast of La Rioja where the Puelles family has been living for centuries. In 1884 the family bought the mill (Molino) from the local council. The current generation, Jesus & Felix Puelles converted and expanded the old mill into a winery where they produce their estate grown wines.

The vineyards are on the south facing slopes of the Sierra Cantabria at an altitude between 450m (1,500 ft) and 630m (2,000 ft). The soils are clay and limestone, with a stony alluvial substrata.

El Molino de Puelles , which we carry, is a 100% tempranillo produced from grapes grown in the El Molino vineyard, a property planted in 1999 next to the mill and cultivated following organic methods. This young vineyard has already produced gold-medal winning wines.

This winery was created in 1999 when the Bodega Cooperativa Olitense (Olite), one of the oldest cooperatives in Spain founded in 1910, merged with the Unión de Cooperativas Virgen de Ujué (Ujué), and the Cooperativa Vinícola Nuestra Señora de Ujué (Pitillas). The wineries sit on the Ribera Alta sub-region of Navarra, on the left bank of the river Ebro, bordering La Rioja to the southeast.

This region is characterized by alluvial soils with limestone outcroppings and substrata, and clay nearer the Ebro. The climate is continental with Mediterranean influences. Navarra produces primarily (94%) red and rose wines. Up until the 1980s those wines were primarily based on Garnacha (Grenache), some of which were planted in the early 1900s. Starting in the '80s though, a large proportion of the vineyards have beed re-planted with Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. The primary varietals for the white wines are Garnacha Blanca, Viura, Chardonnay, and Malvasia with small proportions of Small Grain Moscatel.

The wines, especially the young ones, often have a fruity characteristic while maintaining the flavor profiles of each varietal.You can find out more about them here

José Luis Muñoz, a Valladolid entrepreneur who has been at the winery’s helm since the very beginning of the project, began this winery in 2002. Their first priority was to find a premium vineyard site, which resulted in today’s 22 hectare (55 acre) estate situated between Olivares and Valbuena de Duero, at the heart of the Ribera del Duero. These carefully tended estate-grown vineyards are used in the Damana line. For the Tábula wines they acquired a vineyard called La Morejona which is made up of vines that are over 60 years old. They also contract and supervise an additional 20 hectares (50 acres) to ensure an ideal structure and balance in their wines.

Their natural and careful winemaking combine to produce a modern-style wine that expresses the full potential of its terroir. You can find out more about both their Damana and Tábula lines here

This winery is located in La Roda, Albacete, a province of Castilla-La Mancha. This area is part of the Campo de Montiel region where Don Quijote started his adventures.

The 30 acres (12 Ha) vineyard is part of a large, biodiverse property with olive trees, almonds, grains, rolling hills and native wood forests that sustain the diverese local fauna.

The vineyard, which sits at an average altitude of 2,600 ft (800m), produces tempranillo, garnacha, cabernet sauvignon and syrah. The soils are of low depth with gravel, some clay, and a high content of limestone. It is a continental climate with scarce and irregular precipitations, hot, dry summers with large intraday thermal oscillations, and cold winters.

You can find out more about their wines here

EHD is a family operation located in Socuellamos, a town in La Mancha, made famous by Don Quijote. The optimal vine growing conditions of La Mancha, allows EHD to be one of Europe’s largest producers of organic wines and sangrias. The winery sits in an old palace of historical importance that was restored and converted into a state of the art winery.

The winery is situated at an altitude of about 600m. There is reddish-brown sandy clay soils-poor in organic material, and rich in lime and chalk--over a base of limestone that helps retain the water. Climate is continental with temperatures ranging from -15°C (5°F) in winter to 45°C (113°F) in the summer.

EHD wines have European and, since 2008, NOP organic certification. The red wines tend to be medium body with expressive, not over extracted fruit, pleasant soft tannins and spice flavors. The white wine is made with Airen, a grape traditionally used to produce brandies and other distilled spirits but these days is producing very pleasant wines with a medium to light body, an appealing floral nose and well balanced acidity.

They are the producers of the Macatela line

The Terra d’Uro Project started when Oscar , a restaurateur from Valladolid, came across “el Romeral”, a 140 years old vineyard planted with original rootstock of Tinta de Toro, an adaptation of the Tempranillo made to fit with the “terroir” and hot continental climate of Toro. To ensure the viability of the property he enlisted the help of Pipa, a winemaker from Bodegas Tabula, a small winery in Ribera de Duero whose wines have consistently receive high appraisals from the press and aficionados a like, and Cristiano Van Zeller, a Portuguese winemaker is part of the group known as the“Douro Boys” who revolutionized winemaking in the Douro region of Portugal.

The majority of the work is done by hand; hoeing around the vines, the treatment with sulfur or stinging nettle, or pruning, harvest and de-stemming; using mechanical means only for ploughing.

They believe that every viticulturist has its uniqueness, which he transfers to his vineyard thru his presence, his consciousness and actions. A deep knowledge of the land and the experience of three generations give Terra d’Uro its unique expression.

You can find out more about their wines here

This is a small production winery located in Las Arribes, one of the new wine regions of Spain. It was started by three college friends with a shared passion for wine making. The decided on this particular region while doing field practices and working as harvest Inspectors for the Las Arribes vitners association and were excited by what they saw. They took the name “Terrazgo” from the term used in the region for the terraces where the vines and olive trees have been cultivated since time immemorial.

The winery controls a large part of the grape production. They work with vineyards that are located in the best areas of Las Arribes, and plots of vines that are more than 90 years old. The soils are acidic, not very deep, and have a low organic matter contact. They are mainly located on crumbly slates and granite. The crumbly slate helps to retain moisture and preserve the humidity for the roots. The winery is a self contained, 1600 square foot granite granary built over 50 years ago.

You can read about their wine, Terrazgo, here