The Enologist, the Agricultor & the Resurrection of Forgotten Grapes
In 2018, two young lovers of wine left everything behind to build a family winery in Navalilla, on the edge of Ribera del Duero. She is the enologist. He is the agricultor. Together, they farm biodynamically, press with wooden presses, label by hand, and fight to save Pirulés — a native variety almost extinct — and prefiloxérico Verdejo from oblivion. No chemicals. No sulphites. No filtration. Just pure uva.
Origin — The Dream, the Couple & the Edge of Ribera
In 2018, Fernando and Irene decided to fulfil their dream. Two young people deeply united by a passion for viticulture and natural wine, they installed themselves in Navalilla, in the Valtiendas area of Segovia, just a few metres from the Ribera del Duero — a historic wine region that has long overshadowed its smaller neighbour. They created Clan del Vino (also known as Clandelvino Bodega) — a family winery where the priority is respect for the land and the creation of natural wines from varieties almost forgotten in the area.
The partnership is precise and complementary. Irene is the enologist — the technical mind, the trained palate, the one who understands fermentation kinetics and malolactic timing. Fernando is the agricultor — the hands in the soil, the entrepreneurial spirit, the one who walks the vineyards daily and knows which vine needs water, which needs pruning, which row is ready to harvest. Together they form a tandem that is increasingly rare in modern wine: the person who grows the grapes is married to the person who makes them, and both sleep in the same house as the cellar.
Their project is young but rooted in deep purpose. Valtiendas has its own Vino de Calidad (VC) designation — a step below DO but a step above table wine — yet it remains almost unknown outside the culture of bulk production that dominated the area for decades. Fernando and Irene saw not a backwater but a treasure chest: old vineyards of Verdejo planted before phylloxera, native red varieties that the DO had erased, and a soil of clay and rolling stones that retained summer moisture like a secret. They set out to recover what others had abandoned.
The name Clan del Vino suggests family, loyalty, and a closed circle of trust. It is fitting. This is not a project built by investors or consultants. It is built by a couple, their hands, their savings, and their conviction that Valtiendas can produce wines that are vibrant, delicate, and full of life — wines that deserve to stand beside the great names of Ribera del Duero, not in imitation but in proud, parallel identity.
The Place — The Clay, the Rolling Stones & the Summer Thirst
Navalilla sits in the Valtiendas area of Segovia, on the northern plateau of Castilla y León, at roughly 900 metres above sea level. The climate is brutally continental — dry, hot summers and cold winters — but the soils provide a secret weapon. They are franco arcillosos — clay-loam — covered with rolling stones (cantos rodados) that act as natural mulch, retaining the moisture the vines so desperately need during the scorching summer months. It is an ideal marriage of stress and sustenance.
Clay-Loam & Rolling Stones
The soils of Valtiendas are clay-loam with a high content of surface pebbles — a combination that would be at home in Châteauneuf-du-Pape or the best vineyards of Ribera del Duero. The clay retains water; the stones reflect heat and prevent evaporation. Together they allow old, dry-farmed vines to survive the summer without irrigation, producing grapes of concentration and mineral depth. The subsoil is limestone, giving the wines a chalky, savoury backbone that distinguishes them from the richer, more opulent styles of the Duero valley proper.
Prefiloxérico & Centenarian Vines
Fernando and Irene work with prefiloxérico Verdejo — vines planted before the phylloxera epidemic, ungrafted, rooted directly in the sandy-clay soil. They also tend old-vine Verdejo and 90-year-old Tempranillo bush vines trained in the traditional en vaso style. These are not young, productive plantations. They are historical monuments — short, gnarled, low-yielding, and irreplaceable. Each harvest is a race against time to save fruit that commercial wineries would deem too expensive to farm.
Biodynamic & Organic Farming
All viticulture follows organic and biodynamic principles with absolute respect for the environment. No chemical pesticides. No herbicides. No synthetic fertilisers. The vineyard is worked manually, with the lunar calendar guiding key decisions — pruning, treatments, and harvest. Fernando and Irene believe that biodiversity is the best defence: wild plants between the rows, insects that prey on pests, and a living soil microbiology that no laboratory can replicate. The result is fruit that carries not just variety but place.
The Pirulés Recovery
The most radical act of Clan del Vino's agriculture is the rescue of Pirulés — a native white variety of the Valtiendas area that is practically extinct. Fernando and Irene have replanted abandoned old vineyards of Pirulés and are working to re-establish it as a viable, expressive grape. In an era when wineries rip out obscure varieties to plant market-friendly monocultures, this is an act of genetic and cultural conservation. Pirulés is not just a grape. It is a piece of Segovia's viticultural memory that Clan del Vino refuses to let die.
Winemaking — Pure Uva, the Wooden Press & the Lunar Calendar
Clan del Vino's cellar philosophy is summed up in two words: Pura Uva — pure grape. It is not a slogan on a label. It is a binding contract between the winemaker and the drinker. "No someten a sus vinos a métodos de clarificación ni filtrado." They do not clarify. They do not filter. They do not add chemicals at any stage of elaboration, from vineyard to bottle. And they add no sulphites — zero — which means every bottle is alive, evolving, and utterly transparent.
All processes are artisanal and manual. Grapes are harvested by hand into small boxes to prevent crushing and oxidation. Destemming is partially done by hand — a painstaking labour that preserves berry integrity. Pressing is carried out in a traditional wooden press, gentle and slow, extracting juice without the harsh phenolics of modern pneumatic systems. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts, temperature-controlled, with periodic pump-overs and punch-downs until the end of primary fermentation.
After fermentation, the wines are pressed in wood and transferred to used French and American oak barrels — never new, never showy — where they undergo malolactic fermentation and age for roughly 12 months. The oak is a vessel, not a flavouring agent. The goal is not vanilla or toast but micro-oxygenation and patience. The wines absorb the calm of the cellar, the rhythm of the seasons, and the lunar calendar that governs every racking and every bottling.
The result is a range of wines that are alive, sometimes unsettling, and always honest. Because they are unfiltered, sediment may appear in the bottle — a badge of integrity, not a flaw. Because they contain no sulphur, they may evolve unpredictably — a sign of life, not error. Fernando and Irene do not seek to make wines that please everyone. They seek to make wines that please the truth: the truth of the vineyard, the truth of the variety, the truth of the vintage.
The Wines — From the Prefiloxérico to the Carbonic Bobal
Clan del Vino's range is young, playful, and fiercely artisanal. Production is tiny — every wine is made in small lots, bottled without filtration or clarification, and labelled by hand. The names are as irreverent as the wines are serious: Zángano, Cuático, Abrazafarolas, La Reina del Fango — a lexicon of local slang and inside jokes that belies the rigour behind each bottle. All wines are vegan, unfiltered, and contain no added sulphites.
Zángano
Aged Tempranillo — Valtiendas100% Tempranillo from 90-year-old vines on clay and pebble soils. Hand-harvested into boxes, partially destemmed by hand, fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel with temperature control and periodic pump-overs. Pressed in a traditional wooden press, then aged 12 months in used French and American oak barrels for malolactic and maturation. Deep garnet red. Good fruit intensity, freshness, and subtle oak integration. A wine of surprising elegance for its age — the old vines provide concentration without heaviness, and the clay soils give a savoury, mineral finish. Zero sulphur, unfiltered.
Cuático
Tempranillo crianza-style — ValtiendasAnother expression of Tempranillo from the old vineyards of Valtiendas, made in a style that nods to the traditional crianza culture of the region — but without the bureaucratic constraints of the DO. Fermented naturally and aged in used oak, Cuático is structured, warm, and deeply Castilian. Dark cherry, dried herbs, a touch of leather, and the chalky minerality that defines the Valtiendas terroir. It is the more brooding sibling to Zángano — a wine for winter stews, late conversations, and the patience of old vines. Unfiltered, no added sulphites.
Trajín
Prefiloxérico Verdejo — ValtiendasFrom prefiloxérico Verdejo — vines planted before phylloxera, ungrafted, rooted directly in the clay-loam soils of Valtiendas. These are among the oldest Verdejo plantings in Spain, a living archive of a variety that has been largely replanted on American rootstock elsewhere. Hand-harvested, gently pressed in wood, fermented with indigenous yeasts. The wine is full-bodied, intensely mineral, and deeply aromatic — white flowers, citrus pith, crushed stone, and a honeyed texture that only century-old vines can provide. A white wine of historical weight and natural purity. No filtration, no sulphur.
Abrazafarolas
Old-vine Verdejo — ValtiendasVerdejo from old vines — not quite prefiloxérico, but still venerable, still bush-trained, still dry-farmed. Fermented and aged with the same artisanal care as Trajín: hand harvest, wooden press, indigenous yeasts, used oak. The result is a white wine of remarkable depth and texture — fuller than the crisp, commercial Verdejos of Rueda, more savoury and mineral, with notes of chamomile, quince, almond, and wet clay. It is a wine that asks for food — roasted vegetables, aged cheese, grilled fish — and rewards the pairing with a long, saline finish. Unfiltered, unfined, no added sulphites.
La Reina del Fango
White blend — ValtiendasA white wine with a name that translates roughly to "The Queen of the Mud" — a sly nod to the clay soils from which it springs. Made from a blend of Verdejo and recovered Pirulés, it represents Clan del Vino's mission in liquid form: to honour the classic while resurrecting the forgotten. Fermented with indigenous yeasts, aged in used oak, bottled without filtration. The Pirulés brings a wild, herbaceous, almost alpine character — notes of mountain herbs, lime zest, and crushed stone — while the Verdejo provides body and structure. Together they create a white wine that is both rooted and revolutionary.
Bobal Carbonic Maceration
"Valenciana" — Valtiendas100% Bobal — known locally as Valenciana, a variety rarely found in Segovia but present in the old mixed plantings that Fernando tends. Made by carbonic maceration: whole clusters are sealed in a tank filled with CO2, triggering an intracellular fermentation inside the berries before crushing. The result is a wine of extraordinary freshness, vivid colour, and explosive fruit — strawberry, cherry, pomegranate, and a touch of violet. Light in body but intense in flavour, with the kind of juicy drinkability that demands a slight chill and a group of friends. A rare example of Bobal in the high plateau, and a testament to Clan del Vino's willingness to experiment. No sulphur, unfiltered.
Blanc Clan Pet Nat
Ancestral method sparkling — ValtiendasAn ancestral-method sparkling wine made from either Verdejo or Pirulés, depending on the vintage and the yield of the recovered vines. Bottled before primary fermentation is complete, allowing the wine to finish fermenting in the bottle on its own lees. Cloudy, vigorous, and joyfully irregular — a wine that fizzes with foam when opened and tastes like the Valtiendas plateau in spring: wildflowers, citrus, chalk, and herbs. The pet nat is Clan del Vino's most playful wine, but it is made with the same rigour as everything else: hand-harvested, wooden-pressed, zero sulphur, no disgorgement. The party wine of the range, and a rare sparkling from the Segovia highlands.
Ancestral Rosé
Ancestral method rosé — ValtiendasAn ancestral-method rosé made from either Tempranillo or Bobal, depending on the year. Like the Blanc Pet Nat, it is bottled before fermentation is complete, finishing in the bottle with its own lees. The colour is a luminous, hazy pink — the kind of rosé that looks like sunset in the Segovian countryside. On the palate: red currant, wild strawberry, rose petal, and a mineral, chalky finish that speaks of the limestone beneath the clay. It is fresh, slightly funky, and utterly alive — a wine for picnics, for porrons, for the moment when work ends and the evening begins. No added sulphites, unfiltered, undisgorged.
La Reina del Mambo
Experimental white — ValtiendasThe most experimental white in the range — a wine that changes with Fernando and Irene's whims and the vintage's challenges. It may see extended skin contact, it may ferment in amphora, it may be a field blend of everything white in the vineyard. The name suggests movement, rhythm, and a refusal to stand still. What is constant is the philosophy: indigenous yeasts, no additives, no filtration, and a willingness to follow the grape wherever it leads. Each vintage is a surprise — and that is precisely the point. For those who believe that natural wine should be a conversation, not a product.
Manifiesto Clan
The manifesto wine — ValtiendasThe manifesto — a wine that encapsulates everything Clan del Vino stands for. It may be a red, a white, or a blend; it may be still or lightly sparkling; it may be made from a single parcel or a mosaic of the 29 plots. The only certainty is that it is the purest expression of the estate's philosophy: respect for the land, recovery of forgotten varieties, artisanal process from vineyard to bottle, and zero compromise with chemical intervention. When you drink Manifiesto Clan, you are drinking the mission statement. It is not always available. When it is, it sells out immediately.
Legacy — The Resurrection of Pirulés & the Hand on the Bottle
Clan del Vino matters because it is one of the most intimate and rigorous young natural wine projects in Castilla y León — a family winery built not by inheritance but by choice, not by investors but by a couple who fell in love with wine and decided to build their life around it. In a region where the Ribera del Duero casts a long shadow, Fernando and Irene have proven that Valtiendas has its own voice — and that voice speaks through prefiloxérico Verdejo, recovered Pirulés, and 90-year-old Tempranillo farmed without a single chemical.
Their legacy is agricultural. By farming organically and biodynamically, by following the lunar calendar, by working the vineyard manually and refusing herbicides, they have preserved a piece of the Segovian plateau that would otherwise have been lost to industrial agriculture or abandonment. The prefiloxérico Verdejo they tend is a genetic treasure — ungrafted, direct-rooted, and planted before the phylloxera louse devastated Europe. When those vines die, a piece of history dies with them. Fernando and Irene are their guardians.
Their legacy is also oenological. The recovery of Pirulés — a native white variety so obscure that even Spanish wine professionals struggle to place it — is an act of conservation that extends beyond the bottle. It is a statement that viticultural diversity matters, that the DO's authorised list is not the final word on what can grow in Segovia, and that a nearly extinct grape can produce wine of beauty and character if someone is willing to fight for it. Clan del Vino is that someone.
And their legacy is methodological. The wooden press, the hand destemming, the hand labelling, the lunar calendar, the zero sulphur — these are not nostalgic affectations. They are a model for how small-scale natural wine can be made with absolute integrity in a region dominated by large cooperatives and corporate bodegas. Every bottle that leaves Navalilla has been touched by human hands at every stage. In an age of automation, that touch is radical.
From the clay and rolling stones of Valtiendas, from the prefiloxérico vines that remember a world before phylloxera, from the wooden press and the hand-applied label, Clan del Vino is a testament to what happens when a couple decides that the land is worth more than the easiest path, that forgotten grapes are worth remembering, and that wine should be pure uva — nothing more, nothing less. "Pura uva." Two words. A complete philosophy.