Barranco OscuroManolo & Lorenzo
The godfather of Spanish natural wine. 45 years of zero-sulfur winemaking at 1,300 meters—mentor to a generation and the last word in Alpujarras terroir.
From exile in France to the highest vineyards in Europe—Manolo Valenzuela's lifelong rebellion against chemical wine.
Manuel "Manolo" Valenzuela was born in Granada but spent his early adult years in France, having left Spain to escape Franco's regime. He studied chemistry and worked in Paris before the call of home became too strong. In 1979, he returned to the Alpujarras and bought Cortijo Barranco Oscuro, a 19th-century farm with a ruined wine cellar—destroyed by phylloxera decades earlier—at 1,280 meters above sea level.
The Alpujarras were nearly abandoned, their vineyards replaced by almond trees after the phylloxera devastation. Manolo kept many of the almonds but began replanting vines with indigenous varieties—Tempranillo, Garnacha, and the nearly extinct Vigiriega. Initially, he sold grapes to the local cooperative. But in 1984, he bottled his first wine, becoming one of Spain's first natural winemakers before "natural wine" was a movement.
In the 1990s, Manolo received the first organic certification in Spain. But he soon renounced it—the standards weren't rigorous enough for his zero-chemical, zero-additive approach. Today, his son Lorenzo and daughter-in-law Luisa work alongside him, maintaining the same uncompromising standards: no sulfur, no additives, no chemicals, wild yeast only, and unfiltered wines that taste of the schist and altitude of the Sierra Nevada.
"Only ingredient: grape juice"—the radical simplicity that started a movement and continues to define true natural wine.
Manolo Valenzuela has never followed trends—he created them. While the wine world chased Parker points and new oak in the 1990s, he was quietly proving that Palomino, Garnacha, and Tempranillo could express pure terroir without sulfur, without additives, and without manipulation. His approach is disarmingly simple: the only ingredient is grape juice.
The vineyard work follows the same uncompromising logic. Only sulfur and copper treatments in the field (the minimum allowed even in organic farming), but zero chemicals in the winery. Indigenous yeasts, no filtration, no fining, and absolutely no added sulfites. "Zero, zero, zero," as their website emphatically states in multiple languages.
This philosophy has made Manolo a mentor to a generation of Spanish natural winemakers. When Ramón Saavedra was starting Cauzón, it was Manolo who told importers about his "disciple" in the mountains. When others wondered if zero-sulfur wine was possible in Andalusia's heat, Manolo pointed to his 45 years of bottles as proof. The Valenzuelas don't just make wine—they maintain a standard.
Since 1979
The second highest vineyards in Europe. Schist, altitude, and the Mediterranean just 10 kilometers away.
Cerro Las Monjas
The highest plot at 1,368 meters, named after the mountain peak. Syrah planted here in 1996 thrives in the desert-like climate with dramatic day-night temperature shifts. Rocky, barren schist soils that force vines to struggle and concentrate their fruit.
Soil
Very rocky, barren schist soils with minimal organic matter. The geological complexity of the Alpujarras—metamorphic rocks thrust up by the collision of Europe and Africa. These soils provide mineral structure and excellent drainage in a region with little rainfall.
Yields
Extremely low yields—less than 1 kilogram of grapes per vine. The combination of high altitude, dry climate, and poor soils naturally restricts production. The result is concentrated, structured wines despite the region's reputation for heat.
From the historic Vino Costa tradition to single-varietal expressions—45 years of Alpujarras in every bottle.
Vino Costa
The traditional wine of La Alpujarra—a field blend of red and white grapes harvested and vinified together, creating a pale orangey-pink wine. Manolo has kept this tradition alive since 1979 while others abandoned it. The name refers to the nearby Mediterranean coast visible from the vineyards. Unfiltered, unfined, zero sulfur.
V de Valenzuela
The flagship white, made from Vigiriega—the indigenous variety Manolo helped rescue from extinction. Pear and apple notes with lemon peel, celeriac, a little oxidative yeasty nuttiness, and a dash of salt. High acid, good length, and a deliciously round texture. Aged in old barrels or stainless steel.
Varetúo
100% Tempranillo from old vines. Hand-harvested, part direct-pressed and part destemmed, macerated for 4-5 days with indigenous yeasts. The name comes from the local dialect. Fresh, red-fruited, and surprisingly elegant for the altitude and climate—a testament to Manolo's vineyard work and schist terroir.
Rubaiyat
Named after Omar Khayyam's poetry celebrating wine. From the 1996 Syrah vineyard at 1,300m. Meticulous hand selection, spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel, aged two years in used oak barrels and steel. Coarsely filtered but unfined and unsulfured. Powerful yet linear, with tightly woven tannins and a textured, juicy finish.
Glarea
An oxidative, skin-contact white (likely Vigiriega or a blend) that embraces the nutty, amber qualities of extended aging. Named after the Latin for gravel or sand, referencing the rocky soils. Shows Manolo's comfort with oxidation and his rejection of the "fresh only" dogma—this is deep, complex, and evolved.
La Familia
A blend that represents the Valenzuela family's collective work—likely combining different vineyard parcels and varieties (Tempranillo, Garnacha, Syrah). Made in the house style: wild fermentation, no sulfur, and aging in neutral vessels. The most accessible of their serious reds, meant for the table rather than the cellar.
Ring! Ring! / Salvaje Blanco
Limited experimental cuvées with playful names. Ring! Ring! likely refers to the telephone or communication—perhaps a collaborative wine. Salvaje Blanco ("Wild White") emphasizes the untamed, spontaneous fermentation character. These represent Lorenzo's generation bringing new energy to the established winery.
El Pino Rojo / Salmónido
Smaller production cuvées from specific vineyard selections. El Pino Rojo ("The Red Pine") suggests a connection to the pine forests of the Sierra Nevada. Salmónido likely refers to the salmon-pink color of a traditional Vino Costa. These represent the pinnacle of specific vintages and parcels.
The Godfather
Manolo Valenzuela is not merely a winemaker—he is the godfather of Spanish natural wine. While others were debating the definition of "natural," he was simply doing it, quietly and without fanfare, in a remote corner of Andalusia. When the natural wine movement exploded in Spain, everyone pointed to Barranco Oscuro as the standard-bearer and Manolo as the mentor who had proven it was possible.
His influence extends through a generation of winemakers: Ramón Saavedra (Cauzón), the Gómez Lucas brothers (Vinificate), and countless others who received his advice, his encouragement, or simply his example. Forty-five years of zero-sulfur wines from one of Europe's highest vineyards, maintained through Franco, democracy, trends, and fads. The consistency is the legacy.
- First organic certification in Spain (1990s)
- Renounced certification as insufficiently rigorous
- 45 years zero-sulfur winemaking
- Mentor to Cauzón, Vinificate, and others
- Rescued Vigiriega variety from extinction
- Second highest vineyards in Europe
- Triple A association member
- Pioneer of Vino Costa tradition