Tren de Vida WinesSete Castro
In 2016, Sete Castro had an organic restaurant in Alcossebre —solar energy, local cooking, no industrial drinks. One day Mariano of Bodega Cueva stopped by and made him discover natural wine. Until then, Sete only drank beer. That meeting changed everything: today he makes Tren de Vida Wines with grapes from certified organic farmers, without additives or added sulphites.
Without a vineyard of his own, Sete Castro works with trusted certified organic growers: Enrique Navarro (Las Monjas), José Luis López (Los Marcos), Félix Esteve (Chiva) and Diego López (Siete Aguas). Plots selected by variety and soil profile, from the 300 m of Chiva to the 900 m of Las Monjas and Los Marcos.
- Grapes from certified organic growers: Las Monjas, Los Marcos, Chiva and Siete Aguas
- Uncommon native varieties: Tardana, Royal, Bobal, Macabeo, Moscatel
- Spontaneous fermentation with natural yeasts, zero oenological additives
- No added sulphites across the whole range
- 20% skin contact in the brisat whites (El Príncipe Feliz, La Princesa Feliz, Alfa, Ultramarino, Volar); the rest, direct press or without skins
Sete Castro is a cook by training: sensitivity to the product, to balance, predates wine. He went to Copenhagen, where he worked for Rosforth & Rosforth, one of the reference importers of natural wine in Scandinavia. From there he built his network. His first wines, from 2022, he bottled at Mariano's Bodega Cueva, in La Portera (Requena); today he does it at Bodegas Proexa, in Los Marcos (Venta del Moro). Among the growers who inspire him: Verónica Romero, Oriol Artigas, Joan Ramon Escoda, Olivier Cousin, Domaine Breton and Andi Mann.
Utiel-Requena is perhaps the Valencian denomination with the greatest potential for natural wine, and at the same time the least celebrated. Located inland, between 700 and 900 metres altitude, it combines hot, dry summers with cold winters and cool nights that favour natural acidity. Bobal is the flagship variety, but Tren de Vida gives prominence to Tardana —a white of great aromatic potential— and to Royal, a little-documented native, from the plots of Los Marcos and Los Pedriches.
The collection at Terroir Radical
Moscatel from Chiva (300 m) and Bobal from Los Marcos (900 m), fermented and macerated in two tanks and blended in March. Direct pressing, no additives or added sulphites.
Golden-yellow colour. Nose dominated by Moscatel —floral, honey— with a light vinous note from the Bobal (10%). Fresh, expressive palate, directly pressed without maceration. A white with unusual complexity for the small percentage of Bobal included. 2,751 bottles.
A blend of three tanks: Moscatel from Chiva (300 m), Tardana from Las Monjas and Royal with Macabeo from Los Marcos (900 m). Spontaneous fermentation, no additives or added sulphites.
Pale yellow colour. Aromatic, complex nose of flowers, white and yellow fruit and citrus —Muscat, Tardana and Royal blended from three tanks. Agile, fresh palate, lively acidity. A blend impossible to find anywhere else: three Valencian varieties in collective play. 2,714 bottles.
Pure Macabeo from Siete Aguas (700 m), without skins and with no added sulphites. The most minimalist, direct wine in the Tren de Vida range.
Pale yellow colour. Discreet nose of apple, pear and floral notes. Fresh, direct palate, marked, clean, mineral acidity. Pure Macabeo, with no skin maceration or sulphites. The most minimalist, direct wine in the Tren de Vida range. 1,286 bottles.
95% Moscatel de Chiva (360 m), with 20% skin contact, and 5% Royal and Macabeo from Los Pedriches (900 m) fermented together. A brisat white, perfumed and fresh, without additives or added sulphites.
Bright golden-yellow colour. Exuberant, perfumed nose of roses, lime, orange peel and honey —Moscatel in all its splendour. Fresh, expressive palate, good acidity that balances the perfume. Organic, no added sulphites. 1,373 bottles of pure Mediterranean identity from Chiva, 360 m altitude. The most aromatic of the range.
Pale golden-yellow colour. Pure, intense nose of roses, jasmine, orange and tropical fruit —Moscatel de Chiva (300 m altitude) in its pure state. Aromatic, fresh, light palate. No additives, no filtration. The Moscatel ferments with 20% skin contact.
Pale yellow colour. Nose of white and yellow flowers, pear, mango and citrus notes. The Tardana —a native Valencian variety— gives freshness and local character; the Bobal adds structure. Balanced, persistent palate. Natural, no additives.
Pale golden-yellow colour. Nose of flowers and white fruit: the Macabeo from Siete Aguas, the majority variety, gives structure and minerals, and the Moscatel de Chiva adds roses, jasmine and tropical fruit. Fresh, aromatic, balanced palate. No additives.
Bright salmon colour. Nose of strawberries, pink cherries, flowers and a light spicy note from the Requena Monastrell. Fresh, light and very vibrant on the palate. An organically grown Monastrell rosé that shows the versatility of the variety. No additives or filtration.
Bright pale yellow. Delicate floral nose of white fruit and white flowers — Tardana at its best. Light, fresh and elegant on the palate. A first-class white from the Las Monjas and Los Pedriches vineyards (900 m). The Tardana ferments with 20% skin contact. Organic viticulture, no additives.
Pale yellow colour. Nose of white flowers, pear and a note of ripe yellow fruit. The Tardana —a native Valencian variety— gives freshness and unmistakable local personality. Light, aromatic, persistent palate. Natural wine, no additives. The Tardana ferments with 20% skin contact.
Pale yellow colour. Nose of white fruit, flowers and the mineral notes typical of the Las Monjas vineyards (900 m). A little more body than La Princesa, integrated acidity and a long finish. Tren de Vida's Tardana in a slightly more structured version. No additives. The Tardana ferments with 20% skin contact.
Editorial note
I met Sete at Rubvinos, the wine fair of Rubielos de Mora, and his enthusiasm for the project stuck with me. Tren de Vida is born in Venta del Moro, in an area of long winemaking tradition that some producers are rediscovering with minimal-intervention eyes. There are people who talk about natural wine as a concept, and there are people who live it for real, from the first bunch to the last bottle. Sete is one of the latter.
Utiel-Requena is a territory that Terroir Radical has been following closely for some time: varieties such as Tardana or Royal, which almost nobody knows outside the region, deserve to be on the map. Tren de Vida Wines puts them where they belong.
— Terroir Radical