Bodega El Reventón

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OUR STORY

On a first visit to Gredos, some 15 years ago, Alejandro Vigil was captivated by the landscape, soils, and profiles of the region’s Garnacha. Five years later, he met Comando G as a guest at their annual Fiesta de la Floración and became close friends with Dani Landi. Over long, animated talks Dani spoke about the promise and potential of what was still a relatively unknown wine producing region of Spain. There was so much to be done! He invited Alejandro to come and take part.

Back in Mendoza, Alejandro met with ADRIANNA CATENA, his partner in El Enemigo Wines, and – at 1500 metres above sea level, on a walk through the vineyards, proposed making wine in Spain. Adrianna was living in Madrid at the time, and – moved by Ale’s insistence – organised a visit upon her return. On a walk through the vineyards, this time with Dani Landi, she fell in love with the place – its giant, scattered rocks and old, gnarly vines, and with the idea of starting a venture in the region. So began the search for somewhere special that could also meet the needs of a small, new project.

Six years later, Alejandro and Adrianna were close to giving up (ideas were floated about extending the search to Galicia or the Canaries). Living in London, Adrianna became close friends with GEARÓID LANE, a lifelong wine enthusiast and sustainable energy expert. About to retire from his business life, Gearóid felt the venture in Spain was an ideal opportunity – bringing his skill in project management and sustainability to the venture while learning the craft of winemaking from the best teachers on the planet! He brought good luck too because a week later Dani wrote with a proposal.

El Reventón was exactly what they were looking for. Nestled high in the mountainside, at 950 metres above sea level, the vineyard was planted between 1943-1945 on a steep, south-east facing slope. The soil – an outcropping of slate and quartz – is relatively rare in a region mostly comprising sandy soils weathered from granite. To this old vineyard, carefully recovered by Dani Landi, we added La Reina, a 7ha. property in San Juan de la Nava, and an old vineyard on the slopes of San Gregorio that had belonged to the Landi family. So began this great adventure. A passion project rooted in a love for the region and the conviction that it may be the only warm region where – thanks to its high elevations, free draining soils, and old Garnacha vines – we can make wines with a profile comparable to Burgundy.

Adrianna grew up between Buenos Aires and Mendoza, Argentina, where her family has made wine for over a century. She holds a master’s and PhD in History from the University of Oxford (Balliol College), and has been awarded prestigious fellowships by the Clarendon Fund and Leverhulme Trust. As an historian, Adrianna specializes in the Early Modern Iberian Atlantic; Her research has focused on the textile sector, the circulation of artisanal practices, knowledge, and expertise.

The youngest daughter of Nicolás Catena Zapata, Adrianna has lived and breathed wine since childhood. Today, she blends her experience in academia with her passion for viticulture and winemaking, dividing her time between Catena Zapata, El Enemigo Wines, and now Gredos! She lives between London and Mendoza with her husband and two sons.

Gearóid hails from the small, historical town of Tuam in the West of Ireland. He studied engineering at University College Galway and had a career spanning three decades working in the energy industry in the UK.

Over the years he became captivated by the study, collection and tasting of fine wines. Whilst studying for his WSET exams, he had a chance meeting with Adrianna Catena and they became immediate pals. When he mentioned his retirement and desire to pursue a passion project in wine, Adrianna suggested they do something together in Sierra de Gredos, alongside Alejandro Vigil. Thus, a new phase of life began. Gearóid lives between UK, where his two daughters live, and Gredos, where he is leading the construction and operation of the new bodega. He is learning the craft of winemaking in Spain and Argentina from Alejandro.

Alejandro was the “enfant terrible” of his family. He left school at the age of 14 to join a wine cooperative but chose to continue studying at night so as not to upset his mother. He graduated top of his class in agricultural engineering and, at 27, became head of the soils division for the National Research Institute (INTA).

Alejandro has been Chief Winemaker of Bodega Catena Zapata since 2002, receiving countless accolades and awards – including the first 100 points score awarded a South American wine by The Wine Advocate (CZ River Stones 2016), and the highest rating ever given to a pure Cabernet Franc (Gran Enemigo Gualtallary 2013). In 2023, Casa Vigil, Alejandro’s first restaurant, was among the first Argentine restaurants to receive a Michelin star.

Alejandro lives with his wife and children in what he likes to call The Republic of Chachingo: a rural village in Mendoza where neighbors make wine together and farm the land collectively.

THE PROJECT

Our commitment to sustainability:

Completely organic winemaking with no use of chemical herbicides, pesticides or fertilisers.

All organic materials from the harvest and winemaking process ploughed back into the soil.

Lightweight, eco-friendly bottles and packaging.

Low intervention winemaking with native yeast, very low sulphur and light extraction.

100% GREEN ENERGY

We are a fully off-grid, 100% renewable energy winery.

Our winery is equipped with:

24 x 550Wp solar panels, giving 13.2kWp of solar generation capacity from our south-facing rooftop.

3 x 5.8kWh battery storage units, providing up to 17.4kWh of stored energy to power the bodega outside of daylight hours.

This configuration was designed to meet 100% of the needs of the bodega throughout the year, including the peak winemaking season.

The system performed 100% to expectations, with all single phase and three phase power needs (lighting, de-stemming, hoppers, pumps, press, pressure-cleaning, etc) fully served from our own rooftop.