Álvar de Dios, `Vagüera` Castilla y León Doña Blanca

Álvar de Dios Hernández is a Toro native who grew up among his grandfather's old vineyards in the village of El Pego. Before becoming the custodian of these vines in 2008, Álvar spent several years in Sierra de Gredos, where he worked with Fernando Garcia and Dani Landi. The area underwent a winemaking revolution at this time, which led to Álvar and others adopting a more Burgundian approach to production by focusing on single vineyards and ‘village’ wines.

In 2014, Álvar founded his eponymous winery and, in 2015, purchased additional old vineyards in nearby Arribes del Duero. He now farms 12 hectares of biodynamic and organic vines in the villages of El Pego, El Maderal and Villadepera. The wines are all labelled as Vino de la Tierra de Castilla Y León to give Álvar the freedom to work outside of the Toro and Arribes del Duero DO requirements.

Álvar was recommended to us by Javi Revert of Finca Sandoval, who rates him as one of the brightest of the younger generation of Spanish winemakers. As Luis Gutiérrez says, “He's one of the names to follow in the zone, where he aims for elegance and light in the wines, keeping the freshness and the character of the places.”

In El Pego Álvar makes two wines from his grandfather's original vineyards, planted 800 metres above sea level. The soils are comprised of quaternary sand deposits rather than clay; this accounts for the high proportion of old vines in the village, as phylloxera is unable to survive in sandy soils. ‘Tio Uco’ is Álvar’s ‘village’ wine, blending Tinta de Toro (the local name for Tempranillo) and Garnacha from three sites, two of which have an average vine age of over 90 years old. The grapes are whole bunch fermented in stainless steel using indigenous yeasts before ageing in oak foudres for six to eight months. ‘Aciano’ comprises 100% Tinta de Toro sourced from Álvar’s oldest, ungrafted vineyard, planted in 1919, and named after his grandfather. It is whole bunch fermented before ageing in oak foudres for 12 months, followed by an additional six months in concrete. This elegant single-vineyard wine has a clearly defined, translucent style with a distinctive sense of place.

‘Camino de los Arrieros’ is a field blend of local varieties (including Rufete, Bastardo (Trousseau), Trincadeira, Garnacha and Mencía) sourced from old vines planted on volcanic soils 750 metres above sea level in Villadepera in Arribes del Duero. Straddling Zamora’s border, the biodiversity here is so significant that the village is protected by UNESCO. The blend is whole-bunch fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for six to eight months in 228-litre oak barrels before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Álvar's single-vineyard white wine, ‘Vagüera’, is made solely from Doña Blanca grown in the village of El Maderal. The vineyard, originally planted in the 1920s, is surrounded by a sprawling cork forest which helps shield the vines from the sun. Previously abandoned in 2003, the vineyard fell into disrepair before Álvar recognised its potential and spent two years restoring it. At 950 metres above sea level, the site is one of the highest vineyards in the area. The Doña Blanca is fermented in oak barrels ranging in size from 225 to 900 litres with indigenous yeasts before ageing for a minimum of 12 months. Fresh and saline, this is an excellent example of the potential to be found in some of Spain’s lesser-known indigenous varieties.