Manuel Formigo’s six hectares of vineyards are located in the Galician town of Beade, about 265 miles northwest of Madrid. They are a part of the Ribeiro DO, the oldest appellation in Galicia, dating back to 1932. There is a long heritage of winemaking here, and local folklore says that the first wine to reach American soil was brought over from Ribeiro by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

Each of Manuel’s seven plots is planted with local varieties such as Palomino, Loureira, Torrontés, and Caíño, and the vines range from 20-40 years of age. He comes from a family with a long tradition of winemaking and has been instrumental in the recovery of nearly lost indigenous vines. For example, his flagship vineyard in Miñoteria has some of the oldest Treixadura vines in the appellation, first planted in the late 1970’s in an effort to revive the variety. His philosophy is one of respect for the environment, and he aims to produce wines that allow the maximum expression of the grapes along with a sense of the character of each of his plots. The result is an impressive selection of elegant, aromatic, fresh, and balanced wines that testify to his remarkable efforts.

Between scenic La Mancha plateaus and the coastal Mediterranean sea of Valencia, the Velázquez family rooted themselves in a plot of land rich in historic and viticultural value. The estate is located in a valley locally known as the “land of alforins”. This estate specifically, was historically a Jesuit Friary, where the friars took care of the vineyards and stored their ceremonial wine in coffin sized clay amphora. After the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spain, the land was up for auction, and in 1711 was purchased by the Velázquez family. Thus Casa los Frailes was formed, the name paying homage to the previous owners, “Frailes” meaning Friars.

The antiquated cellars include the same amphorae used by the friars that date back to the Roman period, along with more modern cellars that date to the 1600’s and the 2000s. Also in the early 2000s, they became certified Organic in their methods of production, being one of the very first vineyards in Spain to be certified. The Válezquez family still believe that “great wine means great vineyards” so they have taken great effort to bio-diversify their land and see themselves not as owners, but caretakers of this estate.

Arching over this rolling estate stands the Moncayo range as warm winds blow from the Bay of Biscay. We are in the very heart of Ribera Baja de Navarra, we are at Viña Aliaga. Carlos Fernández-Aliaga follows in the footsteps of his father, Antoni Fernández, in the mission to create authentic wine from oenological innovations and traditional production methods. In the beginning, Antoni cultivatedá this land to grow grapes that were then sold to other wineries, however with new farming practices and means of winemaking, they were able to vinify and bottle on the estate.

Enthusiasm and passion for winemaking was in the family, and Carlos took over the estate and began new more environmentally conscious practices.

The concept of family and their relationship with the land is uniquely important to Carlos and Antoni. Each of the 80 hectares of this estate are named after a grandchild of the Fernández-Aliaga family, quite literally mapping out their family lineage on the very vines they grow from.

The average age of the vineyards here range from 25 to 50 years old, making the grapes grow alongside with the generations of this family.

This estate showcases the connection between family and winemaking, and how these things together create something we can all appreciate.