The Devotion, the Abandoned Vine & the Grape That Needed No Chemicals
In Benagéber, in the heights of Alto Turia, José Ferrando and Yolanda Pedroche — Efe and Yoli, with their daughter Érica — have settled to resume the life of peasants as it was here sixty years ago, with the addition of the internet, making zero-sulphite natural wine from 70-to-80-year-old vines in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Origin — 2020, the Return & the Internet
Devotio is the work of José Ferrando — known to everyone as Efe — and Yolanda Pedroche — Yoli — a young couple who, in 2020, decided to settle in the small village of Benagéber (Benaixeve in Valencian), in the heights of Alto Turia, to the west of Valencia. They were not returning to family land, at least not in the conventional sense. They were resuming the life of peasants as it was here sixty years ago, with one crucial addition: the internet. Efe was thirty. Yoli was by his side. And their daughter Érica was with them — a family choosing agriculture over urban anonymity, and natural wine over industrial conformity.
The project began with the recovery of an abandoned vineyard — vines that had been left to their own devices, that had grown wild, and that had achieved a biological balance in the soil that Efe and Yoli immediately recognised as precious. Because the vineyard had been abandoned, it had never been subjected to the chemical treadmill of modern agriculture. The soil was alive. The vines were healthy. And the only thing the land needed was attention, not intervention. In 2021, they produced their first vintages — with difficulty, because abandoned vines do not yield easily. In 2023, the project was confirmed and legalised under the name Devotio.
The name Devotio carries a religious origin — it evokes the Latin concept of dedication, vow, and rigorous commitment. But for Efe and Yoli, the idea is not theological. It is agricultural. Devotio means rigorous dedication to working the vines and maturing the wines — a daily practice of attention, patience, and respect. The word appears on Roman inscriptions recording vows to the gods. At Devotio, it appears on the labels of bottles recording vows to the land. The devotion is not to a deity. It is to the vine, the soil, and the slow transformation of grape into wine without artifice.
Today, the family works three hectares — though they continue to expand their area little by little — producing not only wine but also vegetables, almonds, and olives using agroecological methods. They are not merely winemakers. They are peasants in the oldest sense of the word: people who live from the land, who eat what they grow, and who understand that the health of the vineyard is inseparable from the health of the garden, the orchard, and the forest that surrounds them.
The Place — The Biosphere, the Abandonment & the Balance
Benagéber sits in the Alto Turia — the highest subzone of the DO Valencia, at altitudes between 700 and 1,100 metres above sea level, within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The landscape is one of mountainous regions, pine forests, oakwoods, and river courses — a harsh, beautiful terrain where agriculture has always been a struggle against altitude, cold, and distance from the market. The climate is dry, influenced by the Mediterranean Sea despite the inland location, with cold winters that make cellar work easier and hot summers that demand patience from both vine and vigneron.
The UNESCO Biosphere Reserve & the Abandoned Vineyard
The vineyards of Devotio lie within the Alto Turia Biosphere Reserve — a protected landscape of exceptional biodiversity, recognised by UNESCO for its ecological value. The reserve encompasses mountainous regions, rock formations, river courses, salt marshes, and lagoons, with vegetation that includes pine forests, oakwoods, junipers, strawberry trees, and hawthorn. The fauna is equally rich: Iberian hares, European rabbits, steppe birds, the white-throated dipper, and freshwater fish. This is not a monocultural wine region. It is a living ecosystem where the vineyard is one element among many. And because the vineyard was abandoned for years before Efe and Yoli recovered it, the soil had already achieved a biological balance that allowed the couple to work without any phytosanitary treatment from the very beginning.
No Tilling, No Chemicals, Manual Harvest
To respect the biological balance of the recovered soil, Efe and Yoli have decided to cultivate without tilling the land — a practice that preserves soil structure, maintains fungal networks, and reduces both the cost of exploitation and the consumption of fossil fuels. No chemical fertilisers. No herbicides. No pesticides. The only intervention is the manual harvest, carried out with careful selection of healthy and ripe grapes. This is agroecology in its purest form — not organic certification as a marketing tool, but as a logical consequence of recovering land that has never known industrial agriculture. The vineyard is not a factory. It is a garden in a biosphere.
Bobal — The Native Bull
Bobal — from the Latin bovale, referring to the shape of a bull's head — is the native red grape of the Utiel-Requena and Valencia regions, and the anchor of Devotio's vineyard. It is a thick-skinned, late-ripening variety that thrives in the cold, dry conditions of high altitude, producing wines of extraordinary colour, fresh acidity, and wild berry character. At Devotio, Bobal is planted alongside Cencibel (Tempranillo) in vines of 30, 70, and 80 years of age — a range that gives the wines both youthful vigour and ancient concentration. The Bobal vine is vigorous, with long trailing shoots that creep across the ground, protecting the grapes from the intense summer sun. It is a grape that demands nothing and gives everything — if you have the patience to wait.
Tempranillo & Merseguera — The Companions
While Bobal dominates, Tempranillo — known locally as Cencibel — provides red-fruit elegance, earthy depth, and a capacity for ageing that complements Bobal's rustic power. The two varieties have grown together in this region for centuries, and Efe and Yoli honour this tradition by allowing them to coexist in the vineyard and the cellar. Merseguera — the indigenous white grape of Alto Turia — adds a third voice: floral, mineral, and crisp, capable of producing whites of extraordinary freshness at altitude. Together, these three varieties form a chorus of the highlands — red, white, and the silence between them.
Winemaking — The Wild Yeast, the Protagonist Grape & No Sulphites
Efe and Yoli's cellar philosophy is simple, absolute, and non-negotiable: the grape is the protagonist. In the winery, they try to make the grapes the stars — controlling the quantities of tannins with maceration times and presses, leaving the wines clean by moving the wine between tanks, and never allowing a chemical or additive to speak louder than the fruit. The fermentation is carried out with wild yeasts spontaneously — the yeasts that live on the grape skins and in the vineyard air, not purchased from a laboratory. The wines are bottled without sulphites, without additives, and without filtration. This is not natural wine as a trend. It is natural wine as a return to the only way wine was made before chemistry intervened.
The maceration times are carefully controlled — not to extract maximum colour or tannin, but to achieve balance. Efe and Yoli understand that Bobal's thick skins can easily overwhelm if given too much time, and that Tempranillo's more delicate structure needs gentleness. The presses are managed with precision. The wines are moved between tanks to clarify naturally, without fining agents. And the bottling is done when the wine is ready, not when the market demands. Because there are no sulphites to stabilise, every stage requires impeccable hygiene and constant attention. The couple accepts this complexity as the price of honesty.
The Vaélico — the estate's signature blend — exemplifies the method. 80% Bobal and 20% Garnacha Tintorera, a mixture that Efe describes as "interesting and sharp, polished in bottle during two years". The wine is light in body but loaded with personality — 12.25% alcohol, 5.81 g/L acidity, 25 g/L dry extract — numbers that speak of a wine made for balance rather than power. The Bobal provides structure, dark fruit, and the characteristic acidity of high-altitude viticulture. The Garnacha Tintorera — a teinturier variety with red flesh — adds colour, spice, and depth. Together, they produce a wine that is simultaneously rustic and refined — a liquid argument for the potential of abandoned vineyards.
Efe and Yoli's approach extends beyond the cellar into the total economy of the farm. They produce vegetables, almonds, and olives alongside the vines — not as diversification, but as integration. The almond trees shade the vines. The vegetable garden feeds the family. The olive oil lubricates the machinery and flavours the bread. This is not a winery with a garden attached. It is a farm with a winery at its centre — the kind of integrated agriculture that was standard sixty years ago and that Devotio is determined to prove can still work today, with the addition of the internet.
The Wines — From the Wild Tempranillo to the Polished Bobal
Devotio produces a focused range of natural wines — reds, a rosé, and whites — all made with indigenous yeasts, zero added sulphites, and no filtration or additives. The range is small, the production is micro, and every bottle carries the dedication that the name implies. Efe and Yoli do not make wine for volume. They make wine for the vineyard — to prove that abandoned land, when loved back to life, can produce wines of extraordinary character and honesty.
Devotio "Salvaxe"
Red — Benagéber, Alto TuriaThe wildest and most primal expression of Devotio's vineyard — a 100% Tempranillo (Cencibel) natural red that captures the untamed character of recovered abandoned vines. The name Salvaxe — wild in Valencian — speaks to the wine's untamed nature: fermented with wild yeasts, macerated according to the grape's own rhythm, and bottled without sulphites or filtration. The nose is of red berries, earth, and wild herbs. The palate is fresh, vivid, and slightly rustic — a wine that tastes of the forest floor and the high-altitude wind. Note: the original Cencibel vines for this cuvée have since been uprooted, making early vintages a liquid document of a vineyard that no longer exists. ~12–13% ABV. Zero sulphites. Unfiltered. Extremely limited.
Devotio "Vaélico"
Red — Benagéber, Alto TuriaThe estate's signature and most accomplished wine — 80% Bobal and 20% Garnacha Tintorera from vines of 30 to 80 years of age at 720 metres in the Alto Turia Biosphere Reserve. An interesting and sharp mixture, polished in bottle during two years — light in body but loaded with personality. 12.25% alcohol. 5.81 g/L acidity. 25 g/L dry extract. The Bobal provides structure, dark fruit, and the fresh acidity characteristic of high-altitude viticulture. The Garnacha Tintorera — a teinturier grape with red flesh — adds colour, spice, and depth. The result is a wine that is simultaneously rustic and refined — a Bobal of unexpected elegance, with a finish that lingers like a promise. Zero sulphites. Unfiltered. Limited.
Devotio "El Punto del Agua"
Red — Benagéber, Alto TuriaA monovarietal Bobal of extraordinary lightness and vibrancy — light in body, low in alcohol, and high in character. The name El Punto del Agua — The Water Point — refers to the place where the vines find their sustenance, and where the wine finds its balance. The nose is intense: violet, red cherry, and Mediterranean herbs. The palate is fresh, with the characteristic acidity of Bobal grown at altitude and a vibrant colour that speaks of the grape's natural intensity. A wine that proves Bobal does not need extraction to be profound — it needs altitude, patience, and devotion. ~11.5–12.5% ABV. Zero sulphites. Unfiltered.
Devotio "La Atalaya"
Red — Benagéber, Alto TuriaThe classic and elegant expression of Devotio's Bobal — a monovarietal red with a traditional profile that balances mature grape flavours with a refreshing acidity that invites you to keep drinking. The name La Atalaya — The Watchtower — evokes the high vantage point of the vineyard, looking out over the Biosphere Reserve. The wine is deep in colour, rich in dark fruit, and lifted by a mineral freshness that prevents the ripeness from becoming cloying. A wine for slow meals and long conversations — the kind of Bobal that reminds you why this variety has survived centuries of neglect. ~13% ABV. Zero sulphites. Unfiltered.
Devotio "Equites"
Rosé / Sparkling — Benagéber, Alto TuriaA fresh, aromatic rosé of Bobal with a touch of bubble — fresco y aromático, with a touch of burbuja that balances its lightness and the characteristic acidity of the variety, giving it a unique personality. The name Equites — Knights in Latin — suggests the wine's noble character and refreshing armour. The Bobal provides strawberry, raspberry, and violet aromatics, while the natural sparkle — likely from a light petillant or ancestral method — adds energy and lift. A wine for aperitifs, picnics, and celebrations — the kind of rosé that makes you understand why Bobal was once prized for its pink wines above all else. ~11.5–12.5% ABV. Zero sulphites. Unfiltered.
Devotio "Hospitium"
Red — Benagéber, Alto TuriaA red wine of welcome and warmth — 100% Bobal (or a Bobal-based blend) that embodies the hospitality implied by its name. Hospitium in Latin referred to the sacred bond between host and guest — a relationship of mutual respect and generosity. At Devotio, this wine is made in the same spirit: generous in fruit, respectful in structure, and welcoming in its approachability. The nose is of ripe black cherry, plum, and a hint of mountain herb. The palate is smooth, with soft tannins and a finish that invites another glass. A wine for the table, the guest, and the moment of arrival. ~12.5–13.5% ABV. Zero sulphites. Unfiltered.
Devotio White / Merseguera
White — Benagéber, Alto TuriaFrom Merseguera — the indigenous white grape of Alto Turia — a variety that has adapted over centuries to the region's harsh high-altitude conditions and that produces wines of crisp acidity, floral aromatics, and a distinctive mineral backbone. At Devotio, the Merseguera is grown on the same recovered abandoned plots as the reds, farmed with the same agroecological methods, and vinified with the same zero-intervention philosophy. The result is a white wine of crystalline purity — citrus, white flowers, and a saline freshness that speaks of the nearby mountains and the distant sea. Fermented with wild yeasts, aged in tank, and bottled without sulphites. ~11.5–12.5% ABV. Zero sulphites. Unfiltered.
Devotio Experimental / Limited Releases
Variable — Benagéber, Alto TuriaEfe and Yoli's experimental edge — small-lot cuvées that test the boundaries of what the recovered vineyards of Benagéber can express. These may include extended skin-contact Merseguera (orange whites), single-parcel bottlings from specific 80-year-old vine rows, carbonic maceration Bobal for even lighter, fresher reds, or field blends that mix Bobal, Tempranillo, and Garnacha Tintorera in proportions dictated by the vintage rather than the recipe. The common thread is zero sulphites, indigenous yeast, and total creative freedom guided by the vineyard and the season. These wines are not always available. When they are, they are shared with the small community of natural wine drinkers who understand that Devotio's experiments are not diversions but genuine extensions of the devotion that gives the project its name.
Legacy — The Devotion, the Abandoned Vine & the Grape That Needed No Chemicals
Devotio matters because it is one of the most sincere and ecologically rooted natural wine projects in the Valencian Community — the work of a young family who, in 2020, settled in a village of the Alto Turia Biosphere Reserve and proved that agroecology, abandoned vineyards, and zero sulphites can produce wines of extraordinary honesty and place. In a region where industrial agriculture and cooperative bulk production have long dominated, Efe and Yoli have shown that Bobal can be elegant, Tempranillo can be wild, and Merseguera can be mineral — and that the world will pay attention if the work is devoted.
Their legacy is agricultural. By recovering three hectares of abandoned vineyard at 720 metres in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, by farming without tilling, without chemicals, and without phytosanitary treatments of any kind, by maintaining 70-to-80-year-old vines of Bobal and Tempranillo that were on the verge of being lost, and by integrating the vineyard into a polycultural farm of vines, vegetables, almonds, and olives, Efe and Yoli have created a model for high-altitude Mediterranean agriculture that is closer to a living ecosystem than to a commercial enterprise. The biological balance of the soil — achieved through years of abandonment — is not merely preserved. It is honoured.
Their legacy is also oenological. The Vaélico — 80% Bobal, 20% Garnacha Tintorera, 2 years in bottle, 12.25% ABV, 5.81 g/L acidity, zero sulphites — is a wine that almost no one else in the world could make, because almost no one else has these specific old vines at this specific altitude with this specific devotion. The Salvaxe — a document of recovered Cencibel vines that have since been uprooted — is a liquid act of preservation. And the Equites — a sparkling Bobal rosé — proves that the most serious devotion can also produce the most joyful wine.
And their legacy is philosophical. "Devotio" — the word evokes rigorous dedication, a vow, a commitment that transcends convenience. Efe and Yoli did not choose the easy path. They chose the abandoned path — the vineyard that no one wanted, the village that was losing its young people, the life of peasants that the modern world had declared obsolete. They added the internet. They added agroecology. And they added a daughter, Érica, who will grow up knowing that wine is not a product but a relationship between people, land, and time.
From the abandoned vineyard to the confirmed winery, from the first difficult vintage in 2021 to the legalisation in 2023, from the life of peasants sixty years ago to the life of peasants with WiFi today, Devotio is a testament to what happens when a young family decides that the best way to farm is to respect what is already there — and that the best way to make wine is to add nothing but devotion. The biosphere is protected. The soil is alive. And the drinker is welcomed.