Bodegas y Viñedos Maestro TejeroAlfredo Maestro
Wine versus chemical wine. The economist who became Ribera del Duero's natural wine revolutionary—rescuing abandoned vineyards and proving that Tempranillo can be pure, fresh, and without additions.
From economics degree to "by-the-book" oenology to zero-addition revolution—how Alfredo found his truth in the vineyard.
Alfredo Maestro Tejero was supposed to have a different life. Born in Peñafiel, in the heart of Ribera del Duero, his family had moved from the Basque Country and had no connection to wine—his people were fishermen. He pursued an Economics degree in Bilbao and settled into a comfortable life in the Basque Country. But wine was his passion, and at age 30, a tasting in Madrid with friends lit a flame that would change everything.
In 1998, he returned to Peñafiel and planted his first vineyard, Almate (an acronym of Al-fredo Ma-estro), on the Rio Duraton. Initially, it was just for family and friends—his father, brothers, and local community. But an elderly neighbor, unable to maintain his vines, offered Alfredo his old vineyard. Then another. And another. By 2000, he had established the bodega, and the project began to grow.
Initially, Alfredo made wine "by-the-book"—using cultured yeasts, acids, enzymes, tannins, and color enhancers to create a "correct" Ribera del Duero. But a revelation came in the early 2000s: why use chemicals in the cellar when he farmed organically in the vineyard? By 2003, he had eliminated all additions, including sulfur in most wines. Today, he works 9 hectares across 23+ small parcels (majuelos) in Ribera del Duero, Sierra de Gredos, and Navalcarnero (Madrid), producing around 115,000 bottles annually across 13 different labels.
"Wine made with only grapes, well-kept vineyards, and healthy land"—the binary choice that changed Ribera del Duero.
Alfredo's philosophy is elegantly simple: "Wine made with only grapes, well-kept vineyards, and healthy land." He rejects the term "natural wine" as a marketing category, preferring a binary distinction: wine versus chemical wine. "If my wine is natural, then that's perfect—that's great. However, I never use the term 'natural wines' for selling, or on the label. For me, the most important thing is that the wine must be high quality. And after that, if it's also natural, then that's great. But the first requirement must be that the wine is high quality. Always."
In the vineyard, he practices organic and biodynamic farming, using horses and donkeys instead of tractors whenever possible. "The vines don't need this distance," he says of modern tractor-width vine spacing. "The old vineyards were planted when they worked with horses—the spacing is much narrower." He seeks out abandoned, neglected parcels (majuelos) and revives them, often receiving them from elderly owners who can no longer work the steep slopes.
In the cellar, there are no additions whatsoever—no cultured yeasts, no acids, no enzymes, no tannins, no color enhancers, no sulfur (except tiny amounts in specific cuvées). Fermentations are wild, macerations vary by vintage (stems included based on conditions), and aging occurs in used barrels (225L to 500L) where oak is barely perceptible. The wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered, outside the DO Ribera del Duero as Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León.
Pure & Simple
Ribera del Duero, Sierra de Gredos & Madrid—clay, limestone and granite at 700-1200 meters.
High Altitude
Vineyards range from 700 meters in the Duero valley to 1200 meters in the Sierra de Gredos (El Marciano site). This elevation provides crucial freshness and acidity in a region known for overripe, heavily extracted wines. The diurnal shift preserves elegance in Tempranillo and Garnacha alike.
Three Soils
Three distinct terroirs: Alluvial soils at the valley bottom (finesse, elegance, acidity); clay and calcareous soils on the slopes (structure, aging potential); granite and sand in Sierra de Gredos (minerality, high elevation freshness). This diversity allows Alfredo to blend for balance or express single sites.
Ancestral Methods
Alfredo maintains the "machines" of the past—horses and donkeys—rather than tractors. This isn't mere nostalgia; the old vines were planted for animal-width spacing, and the animals don't compact the soil. He speaks to the horses as he works, continuing traditions that predate industrial viticulture.
From the entry-level Viña Almate to the martian El Marciano—13 labels that prove Ribera del Duero can be fresh, pure, and without artifice.
Viña Almate
The flagship and first wine ever made—named after Alfredo himself (Al-Ma-Te). 100% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) from various plots in Nava de Roa and Valtiendas (700-1000m, clay-calcareous and alluvial soils). Vine ages 10-80 years. Fermented in steel with 15-20 days maceration, 50-100% stem inclusion depending on vintage. Aged over winter with one racking. No oak, no sulfur, pure, fresh Ribera (~€12-16).
Lovamor
"Love + Wolf"—Little Red Riding Hood kissing the wolf on the label (drawn by Alfredo's son's friend Michel). 100% Albillo Mayor from 60-120 year old vines on clay-limestone at 700-1000m. Destemmed, 7 days skin contact in steel and one 2000L barrel, wild yeast fermentation. No malolactic due to cold Castilian winter. Fresh, textured, with orchard fruit and herbal notes (~€12-16).
Amanda
From 30-90 year old Garnacha Tintorera vines on clay-calcareous and alluvial soils at 700-1000m in Olmos de Duero valley. Direct press, no skin contact, fermented in steel with wild yeasts. Raised in tank over winter where cold temperatures naturally clarify. Fresh, vibrant, with red berry character and the distinctive freshness of high-altitude Garnacha (~€12-16).
Cañonazo
"The Cannonball"—formerly Perdigon. A unique blend of Pinot Noir (young vines at 300m on limestone in Castellón, near the Mediterranean) and old bush vine Garnacha Tintorera. Direct press to steel, primary fermentation, bottled before completion for méthode ancestral. Secondary fermentation on fine lees for 9 months. No fining, filtering, or SO2. Bright, energetic, with red fruit and saline notes (~€15-18).
El Marciano
"The Martian"—100% Garnacha from 50-90 year old vines on decomposed granite at 1000-1200m in Navaredondilla, Sierra de Gredos. The site is known for UFO sightings, hence the label showing martians working the vineyard at night. Lightly crushed, 50% destemmed, wild yeast fermentation in steel, 20 days maceration with daily pump-overs. Aged over winter outside the winery (cold temperatures naturally clarify). Fresh, floral, with wild strawberry and granite minerality (~€18-22).
El Rey del Glam
"The Glam King"—a tribute to David Bowie (though the 23-year-old illustrator had never heard of Bowie, so Alfredo sent him the song). 100% Garnacha made with carbonic maceration (whole bunch, unpressed fermentation). Half from granite soils in Navarredondilla (Gredos), half from clay-limestone in Peñafiel (Ribera). Whole-bunch wild ferment in steel, malolactic in tank, aged over winter outside. Energetic, zippy, unexpected—like Bowie himself (~€18-22).
Castrillo de Duero
From La Ladera vineyard—70-year-old Tinto Fino on clay-loam soils at 960m in Burgos (Ribera del Duero). Typically 20% whole cluster, wild yeast fermentation in steel, 12-15 days maceration. Raised 12 months in neutral French oak. More structured and complex than Viña Almate, with depth, tobacco notes, and aging potential. Shows the serious side of Alfredo's Tempranillo (~€20-25).
La Olmera / La Guindalera
La Olmera / La Guindalera
Single vineyard expressions from specific sites in Peñafiel. La Olmera and La Guindalera represent distinct terroirs within the Ribera del Duero zone—older vines, specific soil compositions, and unique microclimates. These wines receive small additions of sulfur (unlike the zero-SO2 entry level wines) to allow for longer aging and development. Complex, mineral, structured (~€20-25).
A Dos Tiempos
"At Two Times"—50/50 Tempranillo and Garnache from Navalcarnero (Madrid) on sand and decomposed granite. Two harvests: first pick just after veraison (for acidity), second at full ripeness (for body). Both destemmed and crushed immediately after respective harvests, natural fermentation in steel with daily pump-overs, 25 days maceration. After malolactic, the two picks are racked separately into used French barriques, settled, then blended. A study in ripeness and balance (~€18-22).
Viña Almate Garnacha
A single-varietal Garnacha bottling under the Viña Almate label, distinct from the Tempranillo version. Sourced from old Garnacha vines in the Sierra de Gredos mountains. Shows the versatility of Alfredo's approach—taking the same label concept but expressing it through a different grape. Light, aromatic, with the red fruit and floral character that defines high-altitude Gredos Garnacha (~€16-20).
La Badi
An orange wine from Moscatel and Palomino grapes. Destemmed with skin contact, aged in used barrels. Mineral, structured, with the aromatic lift of Moscatel and the savory depth of Palomino. Shows Alfredo's willingness to work with "illegal" varieties and experiment beyond the standard Ribera del Duero palette. Textural and complex (~€18-22).
Special Selections
Alfredo occasionally releases special selections and experimental cuvées from his best parcels and oldest vines—typically 80-115 years old. These receive longer aging (used barrels, demijohns, or steel) and represent the pinnacle of his work. Extremely limited, often only available at the cellar door or through specific allocations. The 2003 experimental vintage (his first zero-addition wine) remains a testament to the longevity of his natural approach (~€25-35).
The Magician of the Duero
Alfredo Maestro has emerged as one of Spain's most dynamic and influential winemakers—a self-taught economist who transformed Ribera del Duero's conservative wine culture from within. By rejecting the region's fixation on 100% Tinto Fino, dark extraction, and new oak, he has proven that the Duero can produce wines of elegance, freshness, and transparency. His work with "illegal" varieties—Albillo, Garnacha, Garnacha Tintorera—has preserved genetic diversity that industrial viticulture sought to erase.
But perhaps his greatest legacy is his binary philosophy: wine versus chemical wine. In a region where color additives, acid adjustments, and heavy oak are standard practice, Alfredo demonstrates that high quality and natural integrity are not mutually exclusive. His wines—whether the entry-level Viña Almate or the single-vineyard Castrillo de Duero—speak of specific places, specific vintages, and the hands that made them. As he says, "The most important thing is that the wine must be high quality. And after that, if it's also natural, then that's great. But the first requirement must be that the wine is high quality. Always." In proving that natural wine can be both pure and profound, Alfredo has become not just a winemaker, but a revolutionary.
- Zero additions since 2003 (no sulfur in most wines)
- Outside DO Ribera del Duero (Vino de la Tierra)
- Organic & biodynamic farming
- Horses and donkeys (not tractors)
- Revives abandoned majuelos (small parcels)
- Works with "illegal" varieties (Albillo, Garnacha)
- Two bodegas (Peñafiel & Navalcarnero)
- 23+ scattered parcels (some 115 years old)
- Creative labels by young illustrator Michel
- Elevations 700-1200 meters