Roberto Olivan's low-intervention, old-vine project near Vinaspre, making vivid field-blend Rioja with spontaneous ferments and minimal sulfites.
Tip: Look for the village-and-vineyard bottlings rather than the entry wine; the Escondido and single-site cuvees show what old-vine Vinaspre can do.
Address: Camino del Soto 22, 01307 Vinaspre, Alava, Spain, Rioja
A Demeter-certified biodynamic estate at Elvillar in Rioja Alavesa, ploughed by horse, making site-driven Phincas wines from organic old vines.
Tip: The estate was certified biodynamic by Demeter in 2021; the Phincas range is the one to taste for the single-vineyard story.
An Eguren-family single-vineyard estate at Paganos in Rioja Alavesa, ageing mineral Tempranillo from El Puntido and La Nieta in rock-cut cellars.
Tip: La Nieta is the cult bottle; El Puntido is the more available single-vineyard introduction to the estate's style.
A Demeter-certified biodynamic estate at Elvillar in Rioja Alavesa, ploughed by horse, making site-driven Phincas wines from organic old vines.
Tip: The estate was certified biodynamic by Demeter in 2021; the Phincas range is the one to taste for the single-vineyard story.
A French-born grower making terroir-led, organically farmed Rioja across Rioja Oriental and Alta, with a Burgundy-inspired village-and-site hierarchy.
Tip: His outlook is terroir-first rather than oak-tier; the village and lieu-dit cuvees reward seeking out over the entry wines.
A Cordovin family winery reviving Rioja clarete and skin-contact whites with spontaneous fermentation and minimal added sulfites.
Tip: Seek out the macerado white and the clarete; they are a window into Rioja styles that the big houses largely abandoned.
A pioneering natural-wine grower in San Vicente de la Sonsierra making unfiltered, no-added-sulfite Rioja from old plots.
Tip: Majuelo de la Nava is the wine to find; production is tiny and these go to natural-wine specialists, not supermarkets.
A small organic family cellar in Rioja Oriental making fresh, low-oak Garnacha and Tempranillo from Aldeanueva de Ebro.
Tip: Rioja Oriental Garnacha is the calling card here; the wines show the warmer, fruitier side of the region with restraint.
An Eguren-family single-vineyard estate at Paganos in Rioja Alavesa, ageing mineral Tempranillo from El Puntido and La Nieta in rock-cut cellars.
Tip: La Nieta is the cult bottle; El Puntido is the more available single-vineyard introduction to the estate's style.
