Los Vignerons
The Valencian Community is experiencing a curious moment in its winemaking history. While the major Denominations of Origin of Valencia, Alicante, and Utiel-Requena continue to focus on international varieties and technologically advanced wines, a growing group of winegrowers is doing the exact opposite: recovering nearly lost native Valencian varieties (Mandó, Arcos, Verdil, Forcallà, Tortosí), working with organic and biodynamic farming methods without synthetic chemicals, and producing natural wines without sulfites or additives. There are not many. And not all natural wines are good wines. But those who do it well—with years of experience, healthy vines, and a great deal of patience—are achieving something difficult: wines that speak of the land without filters. Literally.
A vigneron is not just a winegrower or just a winemaker: they are the person who works the vineyard and makes the wine. They care for each vine, decide when to harvest, and control the fermentations. He is the author of the wine, not a technician who buys grapes or an oenologist hired to "fix" the must.
This figure — very common in France and Italy — has traditionally been a minority in Spain, where the dominant model has been that of cooperatives or large wineries that buy grapes from growers. But in the world of Valencian natural wine, the vigneron is essential. Why? Because without the possibility of correcting mistakes with additives, you have to know your vineyard down to the last detail. You have to be able to read each harvest, understand how each tank evolves, and anticipate problems before they appear.
Many of these vignerons produce authentic garage wines: small, artisanal productions, made in spaces that would often fall short if we called them "wineries." The control that natural wine demands is only possible with the volume that one person can realistically handle. When a project grows too quickly, something is lost along the way. That's why the best natural wines of the Valencian Community come from limited productions. Not because they can't produce more, but because doing it well requires this unhurried pace, this personalised attention to each batch of grapes.
This is the rhythm of the vigneron: slow, honest, and without shortcuts.
What is a vigneron, and why is it different?
