The Agroecologists, the Cooperative & the Grape That Came Naturally
In Monòver, in the high-altitude heart of Vinalopó Mitjà, Mar Cabanes and Ignacio Mancebo — agroecological technicians turned natural winemakers — tend seven hectares of family land that five generations cultivated before them, making zero-sulphite wine from old-vine Monastrell, Merseguera, and the nearly extinct Valencí Negre in a 19th-century house-winery beneath La Peña de La Zafra.
Origin — 2015, the Father's Death & the Return from La Mancha
La Zafra is the work of Mar Cabanes Morote and Ignacio Mancebo Ciudad — a couple who met thirteen years ago while working in Ciudad Real, in the heart of La Mancha, on territorial development and agroecological projects. They were not winemakers. They were technicians — people who understood soil, biodiversity, and the politics of land use. But then Mar's father passed away, and she inherited a plot in Monòver, a high-altitude village in the province of Alicante, in the Vinalopó Mitjà region. The plot was not a vineyard in the romantic sense. It was family land that had been cultivated for five generations — almonds, olives, and Monastrell grapes sold to the local cooperative for a pittance.
Mar's father had never made wine professionally. Like most farmers in the region, he grew grapes and sold them, along with his almonds and olives, to the cooperative — receiving little in return. When he died, Mar and Ignacio faced a choice: sell the land, abandon it, or return home and put into practice everything they had learned as agroecological technicians. They chose the return. In 2015, they established the winery. In 2016, they produced their first vintage. And in doing so, they became the sixth generation to cultivate these lands — but the first to bottle the wine themselves.
The project began with one hectare of Monastrell vines — native to the area, dry-farmed, pruned in the traditional goblet (vaso) system — purchased from Mar's uncle. For two years, they worked to recover another two hectares of family land that were on the verge of being lost to neglect. Today, they manage seven hectares in total, expanding their stewardship with patience and the conviction that the best way to honour the past is to farm differently from the cooperative model that had defined the region for decades.
The name La Zafra comes from the mountain that watches over the vineyard — La Peña de La Zafra — a limestone outcrop that dominates the landscape of Monòver and has guided the agricultural rhythms of the valley for centuries. The bodega itself is an old house-winery from the late 19th century — a heritage building where old wooden beams, ancient wine presses, and notes on the walls (more than a hundred years old) record the inputs and outputs of grapes and barrels from a time when the area was a thriving winemaking region. Mar and Ignacio did not build a winery. They inherited one — and then spent years learning how to use it.
The Place — The Peña, the Calcareous Stone & the Dry Land
Monòver sits in the Vinalopó Mitjà — the middle valley of the Vinalopó river — in the interior of the province of Alicante, at approximately 600 metres above sea level. The landscape is one of traditional Mediterranean agriculture: vineyards, almond groves, and olive trees interwoven across dry, calcareous hills. The climate is hot and arid — continental-Mediterranean — with intense summer heat, low rainfall, and a dryness that makes every drop of water precious. Yet the altitude gives the nights a coolness that preserves acidity, and the proximity to the mountains creates a thermal amplitude that is rare at this latitude.
The Cantalà Plot — Westerly, Limestone, and 2000
The Cantalà plot is the heart of the estate — westerly oriented, located on the mountainside in the area of La Zafra, in Monòver. It is a dry-land plot (secano) with loamy-sandy soil and a large amount of limestone — a soil composition that gives the wines their characteristic salinity and mineral backbone. The vines were planted in 2000 in a square frame with 2.85 metres between plants and rows, pruned in gobelet (vaso), with a low yield of 2.5 kilograms per plant. The plot is managed agro-ecologically: animal grazing controls the winter vegetation cover, and sulphur powder is used only in summer when strictly necessary. No chemical fertilizers. No herbicides. Just the sun, the limestone, and the mountain wind.
Certified Organic, Dry-Farmed, Animal Grazing
La Zafra is certified organic — a formal recognition of what has always been practice. The vineyards are dry-farmed — no irrigation, no artificial hydration, just the sparse Mediterranean rainfall and the water-retentive capacity of the loamy-sandy soils. The winter vegetation cover is controlled not by machinery but by animal grazing — sheep or other animals that eat the grasses between the rows, deposit manure, and contribute to a closed-loop ecosystem. Pruning clippings are returned to the soil. Sulphur is the only treatment, and only when absolutely necessary. This is agroecology in its purest form — the kind of farming Mar and Ignacio spent their early careers advocating for in La Mancha, now practised on their own family's land.
Monastrell — The Soul of Vinalopó
Monastrell — Mourvèdre, Mataro — is the defining red grape of southeastern Spain and the anchor of La Zafra's vineyard. It is a thick-skinned, late-ripening variety that thrives in heat and drought, producing wines of extraordinary colour, fresh acidity, and wild berry character. At La Zafra, Monastrell is treated with the reverence it deserves: hand-harvested from old bush vines, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and raised with minimal intervention. The result is a Monastrell that is lighter and fresher than the region's typical style — a deliberate choice by Mar and Ignacio, who harvest early and avoid over-extraction to preserve the grape's natural elegance. As Ignacio says: "If you drink this wine, you can experience our landscape."
Valencí Negre — The Unicorn of Alicante
While Monastrell anchors the reds, La Zafra's true distinction lies in its championing of Valencí Negre — a late-ripening, thin-skinned, pale-coloured native variety that was removed from the DO lists in the 1970s because cooperatives found it difficult and unprofitable. Prone to disease, struggling to balance sugar and acidity, and producing modest yields, Valencí Negre was grubbed up across the region and survives today in only a handful of old vineyards. At La Zafra, it has found sanctuary. The variety produces wines of extraordinary lightness, floral perfume, and a delicate pink tinge — a vin gris that defies the cliché of dark, extracted Mediterranean reds. Mar and Ignacio have become among the few producers in the world vinifying this unicorn grape — a liquid act of agricultural preservation.
Winemaking — The Same-Day Harvest, the Indigenous Yeast & No Additions
Mar and Ignacio's cellar philosophy is the logical extension of their agroecological training: minimal intervention, maximum respect, and zero additions. They make their wine in a small micro-winery within the 19th-century house-bodega, using equipment that is as simple as it is effective. The protocol is absolute: no chemical substances, no correctors, no added sulphites. The wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts — the yeasts that live on the grape skins and in the vineyard air — and are bottled without fining or filtration where possible. This is not natural wine as fashion. It is natural wine as agroecological necessity.
The harvest is entirely manual, carried out in the early hours of the morning in 15-kilogram boxes. But what distinguishes La Zafra's harvest is not merely the hand labour — it is the selection. Mar and Ignacio do not sort grapes in the winery. They select them in the plot, examining each bunch as they cut it, ensuring that only the perfect grapes enter the boxes. This makes them very slow. It also makes them very precise. "Each day we harvest, we make the wine within the same day," Ignacio explains. The grapes travel from vine to tank in a matter of hours, preserving their freshness and preventing oxidation.
The Nu Tinto — their signature Monastrell — exemplifies the method. The 2019 vintage was harvested in the third week of September, after a crucial rainfall on the 1st of September that allowed the grapes to reach maturity without excessive alcohol. The grapes underwent 10–12 days of maceration on their skins, followed by a manual press and 18 days of spontaneous fermentation without skins — all in stainless steel. Mar and Ignacio deliberately avoid high extraction, seeking instead fresher, easier-to-drink wines that express the landscape rather than the winemaker's ambition. The wine is bottled around June to August — but it is not released immediately. It needs two years in the bottle before it is ready. Four to five years from bottling is perfect.
Because they add no sulphites, the wines require constant attention and impeccable hygiene. Without the stabilizing crutch of SO₂, every stage of the process — from harvest temperature to tank cleanliness to bottling timing — must be managed with precision. Mar and Ignacio admit that making natural wine is more complex and demanding than industrial winemaking. But they also know that the reward is a wine that tastes of rosemary, thyme, calcareous stone, and the heat of the climate — a wine that, as Ignacio says, makes you feel "like being at home."
The Wines — From the Landscape Monastrell to the Unicorn Valencí
La Zafra produces a focused range of natural wines — reds, whites, and rosés — all made with indigenous yeasts, zero added sulphites, and no chemical correctors. The range is small, the production is micro, and every bottle is a direct expression of the Monòver landscape. Mar and Ignacio do not make wine for scores. They make wine for memory — the memory of the land, the family, and the cooperative they refused to join.
La Zafra "Nu Tinto" / "Nuet"
Red — Monòver, Vinalopó MitjàThe estate's signature and most produced wine — 100% Monastrell from a combination of old and younger vines in the highlands of Monòver. Hand-harvested in 15kg boxes, selected in the plot, and vinified the same day. 3 to 12 days of maceration depending on the vintage (shorter for lighter, fresher wines; longer for more structure), followed by spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel without the skins. No barrel ageing. Bottled in summer, then aged for 2 years in bottle before release. The result is a Monastrell of extraordinary lightness and freshness — not the over-extracted, high-alcohol style typical of the region, but a wine of medium colour, good acidity, balsamic aromas, and hints of spices and liquorice. Cherry, strawberry, wild herbs, and the calcareous stone of La Peña de La Zafra. ~12–13% ABV. Zero sulphites. Unfiltered.
La Zafra "Madara"
Red — Monòver, Vinalopó MitjàA more structured expression of Monastrell — the fruit is destemmed and spends 12 days of maceration on its skins, extracting more colour, tannin, and depth than the Nu Tinto. The result is a wine of greater body and complexity — young bramble, cherry, and a lively, zippy acidity that defies the heat of the Vinalopó. Well-structured, with a savoury, earthy undertone that speaks of the dry-farmed gobelet vines and the limestone beneath them. A Monastrell for winter dishes, fatty meats, and slow evenings — the kind of wine that makes you understand why this grape has survived centuries of neglect. ~13.5% ABV. Minimal sulphites. Unfiltered.
La Zafra "Valencí" / "Nu VA"
Red / Vin Gris — Monòver, Vinalopó MitjàA stunning wine from the nearly extinct Valencí Negre — 100% Valencí Negre, a native variety that was removed from the DO lists in the 1970s and survives today in only a handful of old vineyards. Six days of maceration, no barrel ageing. The result is a wine of extraordinary lightness, complexity, and elegance — pale in colour, almost a vin gris, with red fruits, floral perfume, and a delicate, ethereal texture. Valencí Negre is late-ripening, thin-skinned, and difficult to balance — which is precisely why the cooperatives abandoned it. But in Mar and Ignacio's hands, it becomes something unique and precious: a Mediterranean red that drinks like a rosé and thinks like a Burgundy. ~12% ABV. Zero sulphites. Extremely limited.
La Zafra "Mon Val"
Red — Monòver, Vinalopó MitjàA field blend of Monastrell and Valencí Negre — 80% Monastrell and 20% Valencí Negre — from vines with an average age of 50 years. The Monastrell provides structure, dark fruit, and Mediterranean depth. The Valencí Negre contributes lightness, floral lift, and a pale, translucent colour that makes the wine look as gentle as it drinks. Together, they produce a wine that is simultaneously robust and elegant — the kind of blend that only a family with access to both varieties can make. Fermented with indigenous yeasts, aged in stainless steel, and bottled without sulphites. A wine that captures the full spectrum of La Zafra's vineyard in a single glass. ~12.5–13% ABV. Zero sulphites. Unfiltered.
La Zafra "Cantalà"
White — Monòver, Vinalopó MitjàA natural white from 100% Merseguera — the autochthonous white grape of Valencia and Alicante — from the Cantalà plot, westerly oriented on the mountainside. The grapes undergo a 6-day maceration on their skins before pressing and fermentation in stainless steel. The result is a wine of white pepper, dried mango, and gentle tannin — a texture that confounds the expectation of a simple Mediterranean white. There is a lick of salinity from the limestone soils, a floral lift from the variety, and a dry, savoury finish that makes it impossible to stop drinking. A white wine that proves the Vinalopó is not only a land of reds. ~12% ABV. Zero sulphites. Unfiltered.
La Zafra "Nu Brissado"
White / Sparkling — Monòver, Vinalopó MitjàA natural sparkling wine — the pet-nat or ancestral-method expression of La Zafra's white grapes, likely Merseguera or a blend of native white varieties. Made with indigenous yeasts, zero added sulphites, and minimal intervention, the wine is bottled before fermentation is complete, trapping the natural CO₂ in the bottle. The result is a bubble of wild, untamed energy — fine natural bubbles, citrus and white-flower aromatics, and a saline freshness that speaks of the calcareous soils of Monòver. It may be slightly cloudy. It may contain natural sediments. It is, in every sense, alive. A sparkling wine that captures the joy and irreverence of natural wine — the kind of bottle that makes Champagne seem over-engineered. ~11.5–12% ABV. Zero sulphites. Unfiltered.
La Zafra Rosé
Rosé — Monòver, Vinalopó MitjàA natural rosé made from Monastrell — or possibly a blend of Monastrell and Valencí Negre — given brief skin contact and gentle pressing. The colour is pale salmon to deep onion-skin, depending on the vintage and the grape. The nose is of wild strawberry, rose petal, and crushed Mediterranean herbs — thyme, rosemary, and a hint of the calcareous stone beneath the vines. The palate is fresh, dry, and textured — a rosé with the soul of a red and the drinkability of a white. Fermented with indigenous yeasts, bottled without filtration, and offered without pretence. A wine for paella — the mountain kind, with rabbit, snails, and rosemary — and for long afternoons under the Alicante sun. ~12% ABV. Zero sulphites. Unfiltered.
La Zafra Experimental / Limited Releases
Variable — Monòver, Vinalopó MitjàMar and Ignacio's experimental edge — small-lot cuvées that push the boundaries of what the family land can express. These may include extended skin-contact Merseguera beyond the standard Cantalà, single-parcel bottlings from specific slopes of the Cantalà plot, carbonic maceration Monastrell for even lighter, fresher reds, or wines aged in alternative vessels beyond stainless steel. The common thread is zero sulphites, indigenous yeast, and total creative freedom guided by the vintage and the vineyard. These wines are not always available. When they are, they are shared with the small community of collectors who understand that La Zafra's experiments are not diversions but genuine inquiries into what the calcareous, loamy-sandy soils of Monòver expressed before the cooperatives arrived.
Legacy — The Sixth Generation, the Cooperative & the Grape That Came Naturally
La Zafra matters because it is one of the most authentic and historically rooted natural wine projects in the Vinalopó Mitjà — the work of a couple who, after working as agroecological technicians in La Mancha, returned to Mar's family land in Monòver and proved that organic farming, indigenous yeast, and zero sulphites can produce wines of extraordinary freshness and emotional depth from a region that had surrendered its identity to the cooperative system. In an area where industrial bulk production and cash-crop agriculture have long dominated, Mar Cabanes and Ignacio Mancebo have shown that Monastrell can be light, Valencí Negre can be saved, and Merseguera can be profound — and that the world will pay attention if the work is honest.
Their legacy is agricultural. By farming seven hectares organically in the high-altitude village of Monòver, by recovering family land that was on the verge of being lost, by maintaining dry-farmed gobelet vines with animal grazing for vegetation control, by eliminating chemical fertilizers and herbicides, and by planting and preserving the nearly extinct Valencí Negre, Mar and Ignacio have created a model for Mediterranean viticulture that is closer to a family garden than to a factory. The Cantalà plot, the limestone soils, the 2000 plantings, and the old wooden beams of the 19th-century bodega are not merely vineyard details. They are the material of six generations.
Their legacy is also oenological. The Nu Tinto — 100% Monastrell, 3–12 days maceration, stainless steel, 2 years in bottle, zero sulphites — is a wine that almost no one else in Vinalopó makes in exactly this way, because almost no one else has the patience to wait two years before releasing a natural Monastrell. The Valencí — 100% Valencí Negre, 6 days maceration, no barrel, pale, floral, extinct everywhere else — is a liquid act of preservation. And the Cantalà — 100% Merseguera, 6 days skin contact, white pepper and dried mango — proves that the whites of Alicante can be as distinctive as its reds.
And their legacy is philosophical. "We started making natural wine before we knew what it really was, and discovered later that this is what we were doing. It just came naturally to us." This is not a marketing origin story. It is the honest confession of two people who applied agroecological principles to the cellar and found that the wine world had a name for what they were doing. They did not adopt natural wine. They arrived at it. Their commitment to sharing — with associations, movements, and projects that promote a more social, sustainable, and responsible way of living — extends the winery's influence far beyond the bottle.
From the cooperative to the micro-bodega, from La Mancha to Monòver, from the father's death to the sixth generation's first vintage, La Zafra is a testament to what happens when a couple decides that the best way to honour a family's land is to farm it differently from how the family farmed it before — and that the best way to make wine is to remove everything that is not grape, landscape, and time. The Peña de La Zafra watches. The calcareous stone remembers. And the drinker is home.