In the mountains of the Cordillera Central of Spain, in 1468, Queen Isabel was crowned Princess of Asturias and heir to the crown of Castile in the village of El Tiemblo. There the Treaty of the Bulls of Guisando was signed, along with a group of enigmatic granite sculptures, probably representations of bulls, sculpted between the 3rd and 6th centuries. These figures rest on the hills of Ávila, in the heart of a wine-growing region with a long tradition: Gredos.
In the mid-16th century, Saint Teresa of Avila walked the cloisters of her convent. A poet and mystical writer, her ardent faith inspired works such as Me Muero Porque No Muero, where she expresses the pain of her earthly existence and her longing to unite with God.
Concurrently, on the other side of the mountain range, El Greco brought to life some of his most emblematic paintings. With his brush he captured the essence of Toledo in Vista de Toledo, the spiritual majesty in The Assumption of the Virgin and the transcendence of faith in The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, a masterpiece that still hangs in the Church of Santo Tomé after almost 500 years.
These characters, like thousands of inhabitants of the time, contemplated the same mountain range from their windows, strolled along their wooded paths and toasted with the wines of Gredos. A land with deep wine-growing roots, where wines were made for the king's court. Although Gredos is not a Denominación de Origen, its prestige remains intact. The area is divided into three DOs within three provinces: DO Cebreros (Ávila), DO Méntrida (Toledo) and DO Vinos de Madrid (Madrid).
High-altitude old vines in the Sierra de Gredos
The winemaking tradition of Gredos, like so many, dates back to the Romans and later to medieval monks, who supplied the Spanish court. The quality of the wines and its location, just 80 kilometres from Madrid, were ideal for sending wines to the kings court. However, with the arrival of the railway at the end of the 19th century, the more abundant and cheaper wines of La Mancha displaced those of Gredos.
Then, as in so many other regions, the phylloxera plague devastated the vineyards, marking the decline of a thousand-year-old tradition. Many varieties disappeared, and replanting was hampered by lack of resources and migration to the cities. However, this abandonment had an unexpected consequence: Spain became a refuge for old vineyards, many of them in exceptional terroirs. Today, a new generation of winemakers has returned to these magical lands, recovering their winemaking splendor with an unprecedented level of quality.
Who was the first to rediscover this forgotten treasure? Telmo Rodríguez, a revolutionary winemaker from Remelluri (in Rioja Alavesa), arrived in San Martín de Valdeiglesias in 1998-1999 and found vineyards that were being farmed using traditional methods. Despite modernization in other regions, in Gredos viticulture remained practically untouched – prestine granite soils and old vines in small plots that can only be reached on foot. There was some herbicide use as well as sulfur which is used in nearly every vineyard world wide to combat Powdery Mildew. But other than that, it was as it has always been.
Shortly after Telmo Rodriguez, projects like Canopy, Jiménez-Landi, Daniel Ramos, Bernabeleva, Marañones, Comando G and Ca' di Mat arrived, elevating Gredos Grenache to levels of excellence. The latter, Ca' di Mat, will be available in Mexico for the first time this March!!
The Sierra de Gredos today is renowned for its high-altitude Garnacha, a unique expression of this grape. The altitude — almost 700 meters above sea level — guarantees cool nights, providing structure and acidity to the wines. The soil, a combination of granite and slate, together with vineyards ranging from 50 to over 100 years old, gives the wines a unique character. Here, Garnacha does not recall the Rhône with its notes of ripe strawberry and raisins. No. Gredos Garnachas evoke Burgundy: pure, delicate and perfumed wines, with aromas of roses, violets, lavender, incense, thyme and anise. These high-altitude Garnachas are rare gems made from old vine, low yield Garnachas that Mexico will surely love!
The Sierra de Gredos has been a renowned wine-growing region since time immemorial. Its wines, enjoyed at the court of the 16th century, are once again shining in the 21st century. In these mountains, where kings once rode horseback and saints and artists dreamed, some of the most captivating wines in Spain are now produced.
