Resilience in a Bottle, Terroir in Every Sip
Cava Garambullo is one of Mexico's most visionary natural wine estates — a small, hands-on winery in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, where Mexican oenologist Natalia López Mota and Serbian winemaker Branko Pjanic have spent over a decade proving that the Mexican highlands can produce world-class, terroir-driven wines. Founded when Guanajuato had only three wineries, Cava Garambullo now sources from six distinct terroirs across Guanajuato and Querétaro, farming organically and biodynamically with minimal intervention. The name "Garambullo" refers to a local cactus — a symbol of resilience and the unique character of the region. Everything here is done by hand: from vineyard to bottle, from punch-downs to disgorging. This is not a winery that follows fashion; it is a workshop where ancestral techniques meet contemporary sensibility, where science meets intuition, and where each label tells the story of a specific place, vintage, and hands that shaped it.
From Two Cultures, One Shared Vision
The Cava Garambullo story begins with two oenologists from two different cultures and traditions who met studying in Europe. Natalia López Mota, a Mexican oenologist with deep scientific training, and Branko Pjanic, a Serbian winemaker, found common ground not merely in their technical expertise but in a shared passion for natural fermentation, terroir expression, and the belief that wine should be a meaningful product suitable to the era in which we live.
When they founded Cava Garambullo in 2012 — some sources indicate the brand was officially established in 2017 after years of observation and preparation — Guanajuato had only three wineries. Today, there are nearly 30. San Miguel de Allende attracted them not merely for its undeniable charm — the multicoloured homes, the bougainvillea-draped alleyways, the pastel-pink chapel — but because they could participate in building an emerging wine region from the ground up. They chose a location on the road to Dolores Hidalgo, about five kilometres from the centre of town, in the area known as El Vergel de los Laureles.
The name "Garambullo" refers to a local cactus native to the region — a plant that thrives in harsh conditions, stores water in its thick stems, and flowers with unexpected beauty. It is the perfect metaphor for the winery: resilient, rooted in place, and capable of producing something remarkable from an environment that others might overlook. The cactus symbolises both the terroir and the philosophy — endurance without compromise, beauty without artifice.
The winery is housed within Hacienda la Romita, a historic site that also serves as a venue for events and accommodations. More workshop than sprawling vineyard, the squat brick-and-stone wine cellar is rich in light and shadows. The indoor tasting room feels like an underground sanctuary from the Middle Ages — if medieval dungeons were furnished with work benches, velvet cushions, and hand-chalked wooden barrels. Slow sipping is encouraged on the intimate patio, where succulents spill from reclaimed wood planters and vintage Pepsi folding chairs signal you not to take the whole natural wine thing too seriously.
"Cava Garambullo is exciting; they're trendsetters."
— Sandra Fernández, Wine Enthusiast
Six Terroirs, Organic & Biodynamic Hands
Cava Garambullo sources grapes from six different terroirs — five located in the Guanajuato area and one in Querétaro at Rancho Santa Marina. This multi-site approach is deliberate: rather than homogenising a single vineyard block, they seek to express the diversity of the Mexican highlands, blending across soils, altitudes, and microclimates to create wines of complexity and place.
The vineyards are cultivated using organic and biodynamic practices, with a focus on sustainability and ecological balance. Low-intervention agricultural practices are the standard: no herbicides, no systemic pesticides, and a deep commitment to soil health and biodiversity. The winery works closely with growers who share their philosophy, ensuring that every grape that enters the cellar has been farmed with respect for the land.
The terroirs of Guanajuato and Querétaro are part of Mexico's central Bajío region — an area increasingly recognised as the unofficial "capital" of Mexican natural wine. The climate is semi-arid with high altitude (the Bajío sits at roughly 1,800–2,000 metres), creating dramatic diurnal temperature swings that preserve acidity and build phenolic complexity in the grapes. The soils vary across the six sites, from calcareous clay to alluvial deposits, each contributing distinct mineral signatures to the final blends.
At Cava Garambullo, just about everything is done by hand. This is not a choice born of nostalgia but of necessity and conviction: hand-harvesting allows for selection in the vineyard; hand-destemming ensures gentle handling; manual punch-downs during fermentation extract colour and flavour without the violence of pumps; and hand-disgorging for their sparkling wines preserves the delicacy of the lees. It is labour-intensive, but it is the only way to achieve the level of sensitivity and control that natural winemaking demands.
Five sites in Guanajuato plus Rancho Santa Marina in Querétaro. Diverse soils, altitudes, and microclimates. Multi-site blending for complexity. Expression of the Mexican highlands' breadth, not a single vineyard monoculture.
Certified organic and biodynamic practices. No herbicides, no systemic pesticides. Sustainability and ecological balance. Soil health and biodiversity as foundational principles. Low-intervention agriculture.
Hand-harvested, hand-destemmed, hand-punched down, hand-disgorged. No mechanical pumps. Labour-intensive but sensitive. The only way to achieve the control natural winemaking demands. Respect for the lineage of those who transformed grapes into wine before machines.
Named for the resilient local cactus that thrives in harsh conditions. Symbol of endurance, rootedness, and unexpected beauty. The perfect metaphor for natural winemaking in the Mexican highlands — tough terroir, remarkable results.
Indigenous Yeasts, Ancestral Techniques & Minimal Sulfur
At Cava Garambullo, the cellar philosophy is one of minimal intervention and maximum expression. All fermentations are conducted with indigenous yeasts — the wild microorganisms present on the grape skins and in the winery environment. No commercial yeast strains, no enzymes, no corrections, no additives. The wines are unfined and unfiltered, and only minimal doses of sulfites are added at bottling — typically 1 to 3 grams per hectolitre (10–30 ppm). Some editions contain zero sulfites entirely.
The winemaking process is characterised by a deliberate blend of ancestral techniques and contemporary sensibilities. This is not mere romanticism; it is a practical recognition that the best wines often come from combining time-tested methods with modern understanding. The result is a unique synergy that reflects the personality and history of each wine throughout its production.
The techniques vary by cuvée but share common threads:
Harvest: All grapes are hand-harvested from the six terroirs, with selection beginning in the vineyard. Only healthy, ripe fruit enters the cellar.
Destemming & Crushing: Hand-destemmed to preserve berry integrity. Gentle crushing for reds; whole-bunch or direct-press for whites and sparkling depending on the wine.
Fermentation: Indigenous yeasts only. Spontaneous fermentation at ambient temperature. Daily manual punch-downs or pump-overs for reds to extract colour and tannin. No temperature control beyond the natural conditions of the cellar.
Ageing: Varies by cuvée. The "Azumbre" ages 9–10 months in French oak barrels. The "Ventura Pet-Nat" spends 12 months on lees. Other wines see time in stainless steel or neutral vessels to preserve freshness. The goal is always to let the fruit and terroir speak, not the wood.
Bottling: Unfined, unfiltered. Minimal sulfites (1–3 g/hL) or zero. Hand-disgorged for sparkling wines. Each label is a unique synergy reflecting the personality and history of that specific wine.
The portfolio is a journey through Mexican highland terroir, each wine telling a different story of place and vintage:
"Mono Tinto": A vibrant, fruit-forward red blend with bright acidity and minimal intervention. Bold red fruit with hints of citrus, pear, and subtle earthy undertones.
"Azumbre": A structured red of 50% Syrah and 50% Cabernet Franc, aged 9–10 months in French oak. Balanced tannins, dark fruit, and spice.
"Rover": An orange wine from Albariño, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc — skin contact giving it amber hue, tannic grip, and complex aromatics.
"Ventura Pet-Nat": A naturally sparkling Grenache made by ancestral method, with 12 months on lees. Lively bubbles, fresh, crisp, and utterly drinkable.
"Noble": A late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc affected by Botrytis cinerea under highly specific and uncommon conditions — a dessert wine of rare concentration and honeyed complexity.
Ventura Pet-Nat 2023 — "12 Months of Patience on Lees"
The Ventura Pet-Nat is Cava Garambullo's most joyful wine — a naturally sparkling Grenache that demonstrates what happens when ancestral method, patience, and Mexican highland fruit converge in a single bottle.
Sourced from organic vineyards in the Guanajuato terroirs, the Grenache grapes are hand-harvested at optimal ripeness to preserve acidity — critical for sparkling wine production in a warm climate. After gentle pressing, the juice ferments spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel. Before primary fermentation completes, the wine is bottled with residual sugar to allow the ancestral method (Pétillant Naturel) to finish in the bottle, trapping carbon dioxide naturally.
The bottles then rest horizontally for 12 months on lees, developing complexity, autolytic character, and a creamy texture that short-lees ageing cannot replicate. Hand-disgorged to remove sediment, with no dosage added — the wine is released as a Brut Nature expression of pure Grenache and Guanajuato terroir. Bottled with minimal or zero sulfites.
In the glass, it is pale salmon with fine, persistent bubbles — the colour of Mexican sunsets over the Bajío. The nose is a fresh burst of strawberry, white peach, rose petal, and a faint yeasty brioche from extended lees contact. The palate is light-bodied and crisp, with vibrant acidity, a creamy mousse, and a long, mineral finish that speaks to the calcareous soils of the highlands. This is not a wine for special occasions only; it is a wine for any occasion that calls for joy, bubbles, and the courage to drink naturally. Serve at 6–8°C. Drink young. ~$35–$45 / ~€30–€40.
The Cava Garambullo Range
Natalia López Mota and Branko Pjanic produce a focused, terroir-driven portfolio from organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards across six sites in Guanajuato and Querétaro. All wines are hand-harvested, spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts, and bottled with minimal or zero sulfites. No fining, no filtration, no additives. The portfolio spans vibrant reds, an orange wine, a long-lees Pét Nat, and a rare botrytised dessert wine — each label a unique expression of vintage, terroir, and hands. Prices are approximate and in USD/EUR.