Bodega VinificateJosé & Miguel Gómez
From chemistry labs to amphora alchemy. Two brothers rescuing Tintilla de Rota from extinction and making glou-glou wines in the Sherry Triangle without sulfur or additives.
From chemistry students to Tintilla champions—how a winemaking introduction course changed everything for the Gómez Lucas brothers.
José and Miguel Gómez Lucas were born on the island of San Fernando, Cádiz, into a family with no wine connections. Both were studying chemistry at Cádiz University when a brief introduction to oenology course sparked an obsession. Miguel switched to enology first, followed shortly by José. They never looked back.
After working in cooperatives across Spain and abroad, the brothers believed Cádiz had the potential to produce great wines from indigenous varieties—specifically red wines in a region historically dominated by white Sherry. In 2011, they discovered the Calderín del Obispo vineyard in Pago Balbaína with Tintilla de Rota grapes for sale. They bought 1,500 kilos and made their first wine: Mahara (1,000 bottles).
Miguel was also a founding partner of Alba Viticultores (pioneers of ancestral method sparkling in Sanlúcar), but left to focus on Vinificate with José. By 2017, they inaugurated their own bodega in San Fernando's Fadricas industrial estate. Starting with rented space and purchased grapes, they now own 5 hectares across three pagos and produce 30,000 bottles annually—all without additives, sulfur, or chemicals.
"Industrial farming kills nature"—chemistry-trained brothers applying biodynamic principles and zero additives in the Sherry Triangle.
The Gómez Lucas brothers approach winemaking with scientific precision and deep ecological conviction. Trained in chemistry but converted to natural wine philosophy, they practice organic and biodynamic farming across their vineyards—burying horns, following moon cycles, and rejecting all chemicals.
Their cellar work is equally uncompromising: native yeast only, no fining or filtration, and absolutely no sulfur or additives. "We don't like to eat or drink chemicals," José explains. "When you use chemicals in the vineyard or the cellar, you lose the terroir." They prefer wines around 11% alcohol—light, drinkable, and expressive rather than the heavy, fortified styles historically associated with the region.
After experimenting with oak and finding it masked Tintilla's fresh character, they switched to handmade amphorae (tinajas) for their premium wines. The porous clay allows micro-oxygenation while preserving the grape's Atlantic salinity. For their glou-glou wines, they use fiberglass vats and short macerations to create immediate, juicy expressions of their indigenous varieties.
Clay
Three pagos across the Sherry Triangle—Balbaína, Marquesado, and Miraflores—united by albariza soils and Atlantic winds.
Pago
Their first and most important holding—2 hectares of pure albariza soils in Jerez where they discovered Tintilla in 2011. Located close to the sea, it provides the bright, energetic expression that defines their reds. The vineyard Calderín del Obispo remains their spiritual home.
Pago
Located in Chiclana de la Frontera, these vineyards provide their Palomino for Amorro Blanco and sparkling wines. A mix of sand and albariza soils, 35-40 years old. The sand gives tropical notes; the albariza provides mineral structure and salinity.
Pago
Located in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, overlooking Doñana National Park, the Guadalquivir River, and the Atlantic. This is the freshest, most Atlantic-influenced site, providing grapes for their most saline, sapid expressions. Strong Levante and Poniente winds create tension in the wines.
From the amphora-aged seriousness of Mahara to the heart-labelled glou-glou of Amorro—Tintilla de Rota in all its forms.
Mahara Tinto
The flagship—100% Tintilla de Rota from their best parcels, aged in handmade clay amphorae for 15+ months. The wine that started it all in 2011. Deep color, spicy rather than herbal, with the sweet tannins and Atlantic salinity that make Tintilla unique. Serious but fresh.
Amorro Tinto
"Drink from the bottle"—a crushable blend of Tintilla, Tempranillo, and Palomino (the white grape adds freshness). Whole-bunch fermentation, pressed before the end of fermentation to keep it light. Spicy, salty, juicy, and immediate. The red-hearted label is iconic in natural wine bars.
Amorro Blanco
100% Palomino Fino from two vineyards in Pago Marquesado (one sand, one albariza). Direct press, spontaneous fermentation, aged 8 months in porous fiberglass vats. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with zero sulfur. Hazy, tropical, with subtle mineral undertones and Atlantic breeze.
Amorro Espumoso
Ancestral method sparkling wine available in both white (Palomino) and red (Tintilla de Rota) versions. Bottled during fermentation with no disgorging or added liqueur. The white shows lemon, almond, and white flower notes with bright briny acidity. The red is fizzy raspberry and blueberry with lime zest.
Albur
From Pago Miraflores, overlooking Doñana and the Atlantic. A pure expression of Tintilla from this specific site, showing the sapidity and salinity that comes from the albariza soils and ocean proximity. Only produced in exceptional vintages. The name evokes the white albariza soils.
Camaleón
The "chameleon"—an experimental cuvée that changes style vintage to vintage depending on what the vineyards provide and what the brothers feel like making. Sometimes a different blend, sometimes a different method. Represents their playful, creative side beyond the established Mahara/Amorro lines.
Mahara Rosado
Direct-pressed Tintilla de Rota, creating a pale, delicate rosé with the variety's signature salinity and spice. Unlike the deeper, sweeter traditional rosés of the region, this is taut, mineral, and refreshingly Atlantic. Limited production.
Vinificate Tintilla Pura
Occasional bottlings of 100% Tintilla from specific parcels or older vines, labeled simply as "Tintilla de Rota" without the Mahara branding. These represent the most pure, unadorned expression of the grape—often from their oldest vines in Balbaína with 40+ years of age.
Tintilla's Last Hope
When the Gómez Lucas brothers started in 2011, Tintilla de Rota was nearly extinct—replaced by Tempranillo, Syrah, and Cabernet during the international variety boom. Through Vinificate (and Miguel's earlier work at Alba Viticultores), they have become the most important advocates for this indigenous grape, proving it can produce fresh, Atlantic reds with salinity and sweet tannins rather than the heavy, alcoholic wines the region had become known for.
Their success has inspired a new generation in Cádiz to reconsider indigenous varieties. From 1,000 bottles in 2011 to 30,000 today, distributed across the US, Sweden, Britain, France, and Canada, they have shown that the Sherry Triangle can produce world-class unfortified wines—without sulfur, without additives, and without compromise.
- Pioneers of modern Tintilla de Rota revival
- Zero sulfur since first vintage (2011)
- Founded Alba Viticultores (sparkling pioneers)
- Champions of amphora aging in Cádiz
- Glou-glou movement in Andalusia
- Three pagos across Sherry Triangle