La SendaDiego Losada
The Path. From electric guitar to organic chemistry to revolutionary winemaking—Diego Losada redefines Bierzo with zero-addition wines from 60-100+ year old vines in the rugged mountains of the Camino de Santiago.
From Ponferrada to Madrid and back—how an electric guitarist became Bierzo's most revolutionary vigneron.
Diego Losada Álvarez was born in Ponferrada, the capital of Bierzo, but spent much of his childhood living in Madrid and Burgos playing electric guitar in bands. Music was his first creative outlet, but the pull of his native Bierzo eventually brought him back. In his late teens, he returned to study organic chemistry at university—acquainting himself with winegrowing through a scientific perspective, analyzing soils and vine biology with the rigor of a laboratory.
After working at a few larger wineries in the region, Diego rejected the rigid, formulaic nature of conventional viticulture. He saw the chemical treatments, the standardized protocols, the loss of individuality. In 2013, he struck out on his own, recuperating 3 small parcels of old vines and bottling his first wine. He named the project La Senda—"the path" or "the way" in Spanish—though Diego insists this is "a more mental than physical path."
Today, Diego rents 15 parcels totaling just over 5 hectares in Bierzo, focusing on bush-trained vines (en vaso) with at least 60 years of age. He looks for vineyards that are not easily accessible by road—isolated sites on clay-calcareous or slate soils where chemical treatments from neighboring farms cannot taint his vines. He green-harvests aggressively to attain yields of 1.5 kg per vine (versus the typical 6-7 kg in the region), believing that struggle creates character. His first vintage with zero additions (no SO2) was 2016, marking his full commitment to natural winemaking.
"Enological products are cogs in the capitalist machine"—intuitive viticulture and the rejection of stainless steel.
Diego practices organic viticulture with an intuitive, almost spiritual approach. He encourages biodiversity, letting natural flora grow amongst the vines—nettles, horsebane, wild grasses. His philosophy is "respectful of the environment, an agriculture-based practice that is not intrusive and uses only natural methods to maintain the biological balance in our vineyards." He renounces formulaic vineyard work, opting for an evolved and intuitive approach that changes with each season and each vineyard.
In the winery, Diego is extremely low-intervention. He employs a mix of unlined concrete vats and older oak and chestnut casks & foudres—he refuses to use stainless steel, believing it is an "inert material that will kill the nature within the wine." During elaboration he does not use pumps, additives, or SO2 additions (starting with the 2016 vintage), stating that "enological products are cogs in the capitalist machine."
Diego views his winemaking as an extension of the creative process from his days as a musician. Each wine is a composition, each vintage a new improvisation. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration, outside the DO Bierzo as Vino de España, preserving their raw energy and living nature.
Intuitive & Pure
Bierzo—clay-calcareous and slate soils at 550-650 meters, where Roman mines trace minerals into the wine.
High Elevation
Vineyards range from 550 to 650 meters elevation in the rolling hills of Bierzo, near the Camino de Santiago. These elevations provide freshness and acidity in a region that can produce overripe wines. The sites are often inaccessible by road, requiring foot access and ensuring isolation from chemical treatments.
Mineral Soils
Two primary soil types: clay-calcareous (providing structure and depth) and slate (imparting minerality and tension). The rolling hills are full of abandoned gold, iron, and magnesium mines from Roman times—Diego believes these trace minerals give his wines added personality and a sense of place.
Extreme Yields
Diego aggressively green harvests to attain yields of just 1.5 kg per vine, compared to the typical 6-7 kg in the region. This extreme restriction forces the vines to concentrate energy, resulting in small, intensely flavored berries with thick skins and complex phenolics.
From the flagship 1984 to the field-blend whites—wines that redefine Bierzo's potential.
1984
The wine that put Diego on the map—100% Mencía from 3 old-vine vineyards in Priaranza del Bierzo (southwest Bierzo), where Mencía is most expressive. Vines are 70-90 years old on clay soils with slate and trace minerals at 650 meters. Partially destemmed, macerated 7-8 days in 3 large oak casks, then transferred to small barrels for 8 months. Crushed cherries, orange zest, scrub brush garrigue, mouthwatering acidity. Bottled without fining, filtration, or SO2 (~€20-25).
Vindemiatrix
Mencía & Doña Blanca from several old-vine, co-planted parcels in Hervededo. Vines rooted in clay-calcareous soils at 550 meters. Hand-harvested, destemmed, macerated 4-5 days, then fermented and raised in unlined concrete tanks for 7 months. Bright, easy-drinking, classic smoky-peppery Mencía profile with red cherry and white pepper. Small addition of SO2. Perfect introduction to Diego's style (~€15-20).
El Aqueronte
100% Mencía from a single namesake vineyard at 555 meters on clay-calcareous with slate and quartz. The vineyard runs along a river and is inter-planted with diverse flora—vibrant, untamed, teeming with life. 60-90 year old vines. Fermented with partial whole clusters in chestnut vat, short maceration, no pumping over. Racked to another chestnut vat for 10 months before bottling. Most aromatic of Diego's wines—woven complexity of red fruits, florals, spice, minerals (~€25-30).
La Barbacana
90% Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet) & 10% Mencía from a centenarian vineyard (100+ years) at 650 meters, situated in front of a 13th century castle and above an old Roman mine (slate, iron, gold, quartz). On the western edge of Bierzo bordering Galicia. Fermented in chestnut vats with short maceration, aged 11-12 months in 650L chestnut barrel. Extraordinary purity, depth, grip, and length. Powerful yet elegant (~€28-35).
In Absentia
100% Trousseau (Bastardo/Merenzao) from two plots of 80-95-year-old vines on clay-calcareous soils at 555 meters. Partially destemmed, macerated 3-4 days, fermented in open-top chestnut vats. Finished fermentation in used French oak, rested 11 months. A rarity in Bierzo—Trousseau is usually blended, but here stands alone. Light, aromatic, red berry character with herbal complexity. No SO2 (~€30-38).
Finca Los Quemados Clarete
A "clarete" style—100% Tinto Fino (Mencía) from 56-year-old vines at 960m on red sands with pebbles. Short maceration (5-6 days) in steel, then racked to old French oak to complete fermentation and malolactic. Light-colored, fresh, cherry fruit and floral notes. This short-maceration style was common in Bierzo before the modern era of extraction. Bottled without SO2 (~€18-22).
In A Gadda Da Vida
Diego's iconic white/orange wine—50% Godello, 30% Doña Blanca, 10% Palomino, 10% Malvasía, plus a "mystery grape" he has yet to identify. From 60-90 year old parcels in Hervededo at 600 meters on clay-calcareous soils. Fermented in old open-top French oak barrels with 10 days skin contact, then racked to neutral oak for 8 months. Electrically charged, bursting with orchard fruit, zippy acid, lingering minerality. The name references the Iron Butterfly song (~€22-28).
Kybalion
Roughly equal parts Palomino and Doña Blanca from 80-95-year-old parcel "Los Campos" at 500-550 meters on clay-calcareous with trace minerals. Hand-harvested, destemmed, macerated 30 days on skins in used barrels. Fermentation completes in same vessels, then rests 5 months in used French and Slovenian oak. Rich, expressive, still fresh and alive. Mineral-driven with subtle notes of tropical and stone fruits (~€25-32).
Une Rose de Blancs
Diego's first rosado—originally made by accident when Godello and Palomino grapes intended for In A Gadda Da Vida went into casks formerly used for red wine (the 1984 Mencía). The result was so successful he replicated it. Partially destemmed grapes macerate a few days on skins in used French oak barrels, ferment, and rest there for 5 months. Fresh, vibrant, with red berry character from the "contaminated" barrels. No SO2 (~€18-22).
The Pilgrim's Progress
Diego Losada represents a new generation of Spanish winemakers who refuse to accept the status quo. In Bierzo—a region dominated by larger producers and standardized wines—he has carved out a path of radical individuality. By working with isolated, inaccessible vineyards, by rejecting stainless steel and other "inert" materials, by eliminating sulfur and all additives, he has proven that Bierzo can produce wines of startling purity and Atlantic freshness.
His legacy extends beyond the bottle. By maintaining vineyards that others have abandoned, by working with "illegal" varieties and field blends, by treating winemaking as a creative act rather than industrial production, Diego keeps alive a tradition of viticultura de montaña (mountain viticulture) that was disappearing. The name La Senda—The Path—is apt: he is a pilgrim on a mental and spiritual journey, searching for the essence of Bierzo in each vintage. As he says, "This is a more mental than physical path." For those who taste his wines—whether the iconic 1984 or the field-blend In A Gadda Da Vida—that path leads to some of the most exciting, honest, and alive wines being made in Spain today.
- Zero SO2 since 2016 (no exceptions)
- 15 isolated, hard-to-access parcels
- 60-100+ year old bush vines (en vaso)
- Extreme yields (1.5 kg/vine vs 6-7 kg typical)
- No stainless steel ("kills the nature")
- Unlined concrete vats and chestnut casks
- No pumps, no battonage
- Organic chemistry background
- Electric guitarist turned vigneron
- Vino de España (outside DO Bierzo)
- Roman mining heritage (mineral trace elements)