The Rebellion, the Clay & the Two Landscapes
In Villena and Torrevieja, Rafa Bernabé farms two extraordinary terroirs — a 40-hectare mountain estate of old bush vines at Finca Casa Balaguer, and a 2.5-hectare coastal enclave of own-rooted vines in La Mata national park. Since 2001, he has been Spain's foremost champion of tinajas, making zero-sulphite wine from Monastrell, Merseguera, and Moscatel with a rebellious devotion to the past.
Origin — 2001, the Rebellion & the Return to Clay
Bodegas Bernabé Navarro was founded around 2001 by Rafa Bernabé — though to call it a founding suggests something more commercial than what actually occurred. What happened was simpler: a man decided to stop accepting the industrialization of wine in Alicante and began making it the way his ancestors had — naturally, honestly, and without the crutches of chemistry. From a small beginning, the project has grown into one of the most idiosyncratic and respected natural wine estates in Spain, with a reputation built not on marketing but on the radical quality of its wines and the radical integrity of its methods.
The winery is located at Finca Casa Balaguer, on the Villena–Cañada road, kilometre 3 — an inland property in the heart of Alicante's Vinalopó valley, where the climate is continental-Mediterranean: hot, dry summers, cold winters, and a landscape of almond groves, olive trees, and old bush vines. Here, Bernabé cultivates approximately 40 hectares of vineyard, predominantly Monastrell — the grape that defines Alicante's red wine identity — alongside Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Syrah, Merlot, and the rare indigenous red Rojal. But this is only half the story. An hour's drive away, on the Mediterranean coast in Torrevieja, lies the other half.
In La Mata national park, right on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, Bernabé works 2.5 hectares of old vines — 50 to 70 years old — planted on sandy soils rich in fossilized seashells. These vines are own-rooted (pie franco) — a rarity in modern Europe, where phylloxera forced most vineyards onto American rootstock. The sand and shells protected these vines from the louse, and today they stand as living monuments to pre-phylloxera viticulture. The grapes here are white — native Merseguera and Moscatel de Alejandría — and they produce wines of extraordinary salinity, minerality, and aromatic purity. Two terroirs. Two colours. One philosophy.
Bernabé's reputation extends beyond his wines. He is widely recognized as Spain's foremost expert on clay vessels for winemaking — the tinajas that have been used in Spain for at least two millennia. Before the natural wine movement made amphorae fashionable, Bernabé was already traveling to Villarrobledo in Castilla-La Mancha to work with the master potter Juan Padilla, convincing him to return to making wine vessels after years of producing only decorative pottery. Bernabé was the first Spanish winemaker to champion Padilla's tinajas, and his advocacy helped spark a renaissance that now includes producers like Pepe Mendoza, Elisabetta Foradori, and COS. He did not follow the tinaja trend. He created it.
The Place — The Mountain, the Sea & the Fossilized Shells
Finca Casa Balaguer sits at the intersection of two powerful forces: the continental dryness of Spain's interior and the Mediterranean humidity of the coast. The estate's 40 hectares are planted predominantly to Monastrell — a grape of extraordinary drought resistance and tannic power — trained in the traditional en vaso (bush vine) system. This is not trellised, machine-harvested monoculture. These are old, gnarled plants that have survived decades of heat and scarcity, their roots plunging deep into the calcareous soils of the Vinalopó in search of water. The altitude and inland location give the reds a structural freshness that coastal Monastrell often lacks — a tension between sun and stone that Bernabé has learned to capture without artifice.
Finca Casa Balaguer — The Mountain Estate
The inland vineyard at Villena is the heart of Bernabé's red wine production. Here, on calcareous-clay soils at altitude, Monastrell finds its most profound expression in Alicante. The vines are organically farmed — no synthetic chemicals, no herbicides, no shortcuts. Bush vines demand hand labour: every prune, every harvest, every intervention is done by human hands. The varieties include Monastrell, Garnacha, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Merlot, and the nearly extinct Rojal — a native red that Bernabé has rescued from disappearance. The climate is extreme. The yields are low. The wines are intense, structured, and unmistakably of this place — mineral, savoury, and sun-drenched.
La Mata — The Sea, the Sand & the Own-Rooted Vines
The coastal parcel in La Mata national park is a viticultural miracle. The sandy soils, rich in fossilized seashells, prevented phylloxera from ever taking hold, allowing vines of 50 to 70 years of age to survive on their own roots. These are not grafted plants. They are genetically identical to the vines planted here generations ago. The proximity to the Mediterranean — 0 metres above sea level, as Bernabé puts it — gives the whites a saline, chalky character that is impossible to replicate inland. The native varieties Merseguera and Moscatel de Alejandría thrive here, producing grapes of extraordinary aromatic intensity and natural acidity. This is not a vineyard that could exist anywhere else. It is a geographic and historical accident that Bernabé has had the wisdom to preserve.
Monastrell — The Soul of Alicante
Monastrell — known as Mourvèdre in France and Mataro in Australia — is the defining red grape of southeastern Spain. It is a late-ripening, thick-skinned variety that demands heat and drought to achieve its potential. In the wrong hands, it produces wines that are alcoholic, over-extracted, and devoid of subtlety. In Bernabé's hands, it becomes something else entirely: fresh, vivid, and alive. By harvesting early — especially for his white wines — and using indigenous yeasts with minimal extraction, Bernabé captures Monastrell's wild fruit and herbal complexity without allowing the Mediterranean sun to overwhelm it. The result is a red wine of surprising elegance and drinkability, with the structure to age and the freshness to please.
Merseguera & Moscatel — The Forgotten Whites
While Monastrell dominates the reds, the whites of Bernabé Navarro are perhaps even more singular. Merseguera is a native Valencian white grape of extraordinary mineral character — pithy, spicy, and saline. Moscatel de Alejandría — one of the oldest cultivated grapes in the world, introduced to Iberia by Phoenician traders — contributes intense floral aromatics and tropical fruit. Together, these varieties produce wines that are simultaneously ancient and avant-garde: orange wines fermented on skins in clay tinajas, sparkling pét-nats from the sea, and still whites of crystalline purity. These are not international-style whites. They are Mediterranean whites — wines that taste of salt, sun, and the fossils beneath your feet.
Winemaking — The Tinaja, the Living Wine & No Fear
Rafa Bernabé works naturally — a word that, in his case, is not a marketing category but a technical description. His vineyards are organically managed. He uses no added yeasts. He adds little or no sulfur dioxide. His wines are not fined or filtered. And he is keen on using clay amphorae — tinajas — for both fermentation and ageing. This is not a winemaker who dabbles in natural wine. This is a winemaker who embodies it, with all the risk, complexity, and occasional imperfection that the approach entails. As one critic noted: "Not all the wines quite carry it off, but most do, and none are dull."
The tinajas are central to Bernabé's philosophy. These are not Georgian qvevri, buried in the earth and lined with beeswax. They are Spanish tinajas — egg-shaped clay vessels from Villarrobledo, fired in wood-burning kilns, made from clay so pure that they require no internal coating. Bernabé was the first to recognize their potential for modern natural winemaking, and he has spent years learning their quirks. "Making wine in tinajas is not easy," he admits. "I've had many wines going bad. The first year tinajas absorb a great deal, but after that they work really well." But the rewards are singular: wines with a veil of yeasts and flor, an intensity of palate that comes from the interaction of lees and clay, and a texture that neither wood nor steel can replicate.
The Tinajas de la Mata — the estate's iconic orange wine — is made from the coastal vines in Torrevieja. The grapes are fermented with 15 days of skin contact in tinajas of varying sizes, then raised in those same tinajas for six months. No fining. No filtration. Very low SO2. The result is a wine of extraordinary complexity: fresh, aromatic, citrus and floral, with a saline, chalky minerality that speaks directly of the fossilized shells beneath the sand. It is light-bodied yet intense, a wine that seems to evaporate on the tongue while leaving behind a memory of the sea.
Bernabé's approach varies by vintage and by parcel. He employs different techniques — cold maceration, long and short macerations, different destemming ratios, pump-overs, punch-downs — but always in service of the grape, never in service of a formula. Early harvesting is standard, especially for whites, to preserve acidity and prevent the Mediterranean sun from overwhelming the fruit. The wines are made in tiny quantities — often around 1,000 bottles per cuvée, sometimes as few as 290 cases. Each bottle is a snapshot of a specific place and moment, not a standardized product. And because they are alive — because they contain no sulphites to arrest their development — they continue to evolve in the bottle, shifting, deepening, and surprising the drinker who returns to them months or years later.
The Wines — From the Sea Tinajas to the Mountain Monastrell
Bodegas Bernabé Navarro produces a focused but powerful range of natural wines from its two terroirs — all made with indigenous yeasts, organic grapes, and minimal to zero sulphites. The range spans orange wines from clay tinajas, fresh coastal whites, structured inland reds, experimental pét-nats, and rare single-varietal cuvées from nearly extinct grapes. Production is tiny. Character is huge. And no two vintages are ever the same.
Bernabé Navarro "Tinajas de la Mata"
Orange / Skin-contact — Torrevieja, La MataThe estate's iconic orange wine — a blend of 60% Merseguera and 35% Moscatel (with 5% other native varieties) from 50–70-year-old, own-rooted vines on sandy, fossilized-shell soils at sea level in La Mata national park. 15 days of skin-contact fermentation in clay tinajas, followed by six months ageing in tinajas of varying sizes. Very low SO2. Unfined and unfiltered. The result is a wine of extraordinary salinity and complexity — fresh, aromatic, citrus and floral, with a chalky, saline minerality that speaks of the Mediterranean. Light-bodied yet intense. ~290 cases. 12.5% ABV.
Bernabé Navarro "Benimaquía Tinajas"
Orange / Amphora — AlicanteA 100% Moscatel wine made in clay amphorae (tinajas) with no added SO2 and six months on skins. Deep bronze colour. The nose is of sweet peach, apricot, and spice. The palate has a firm, grippy character with lemony apricot fruit, subtle tea notes, and a dryness that defies the aromatic sweetness of the grape. Very dry but not awkward — pretty fruit, complex texture, and a finish that lingers with oxidative elegance. A wine that demonstrates what happens when Moscatel is treated with seriousness rather than sweetness. 12.5% ABV. Zero sulphites added.
Bernabé Navarro "El Carro"
White — Torrevieja, La MataFrom Muscat of Alexandria — one of the oldest cultivated grapes in the world — grown on the sandy, shell-rich soils of La Mata. A direct-press white of extraordinary purity and freshness. The nose is of aniseed, lemons, and fresh grapes. The palate is lively, with distinctive tea, grape, and citrus notes, and an almost piercing acidity that cuts through the Mediterranean heat. Very pure, very direct, and utterly distinctive. A wine that proves Moscatel does not need to be sweet to be profound. Minimal sulphites. Unfined, unfiltered.
Bernabé Navarro "La Viña de Simón"
White — AlicanteA varietal Merseguera — the native white grape of Valencia and Alicante that has been largely replaced by international varieties. Pithy, spicy, and mineral on the nose, with apricot, pear, and wild herbs. The palate is lively, pure, and pithy — grippy and distinctive, with a texture that suggests skin contact even when there is none. This is a wine for those who understand that the great whites of the Mediterranean are not Chardonnay — they are something older, stranger, and more honest. Minimal intervention. Indigenous yeast.
Bernabé Navarro "Tragolargo"
Red — Villena, Finca BalaguerRafa's "drinking wine" — a varietal Monastrell with no added sulfites, made to be enjoyed rather than analyzed. But analysis is inevitable. A vital, fresh, grippy wine with a slightly reductive nose of fresh cherry and berry fruits. The palate is vivid and lively, with a gentle spritz that adds freshness and a drying finish that demands food. Dark in colour, with an elegant, intense nose of cherries, raspberries, and eucalyptus. Notes of liquorice and black fruits with a gentle herbaceous character. Vibrant, crunchy, and silky in texture — extraordinary value for a wine of such integrity. ~12.5–14% ABV. Vegan. Zero added sulphites.
Bernabé Navarro "Ramblis" / "Ramblis del Arco"
Red — Villena, Finca BalaguerA Monastrell of extraordinary purity and freshness — 13% alcohol, no added SO2. Cherry red in colour. The nose is bright and alive: pure sweet raspberry, good acidity, and intriguing hay and straw notes. Quite lean and fresh, with a hint of pepper. Lovely grippy structure. Youthful, elegant, and precise — a Monastrell that refuses the cliché of overripe, over-extracted Mediterranean reds. This is a wine that proves restraint is not the enemy of intensity. Best with food, best with friends, best when you are not in a hurry. ~1,000 bottles. Unfined, unfiltered.
Bernabé Navarro "La Amistad"
Red / Rosé — AlicanteMade from the rare indigenous variety Rojal — a grape that exists in the liminal space between rosé and red. Not quite a rosé, not quite a red wine. Full red-pink colour. The nose is of fresh raspberry, cherry, and savoury spice. The palate is really fresh, with cranberry, raspberry, subtle reduction, and notes of apple and herb. Lovely balance, complex texture, and a finish that keeps you reaching for the glass. A wine that refuses categorization — and is all the more interesting for it. Minimal sulphites. Indigenous yeast.
Bernabé Navarro "Musikanto"
Red / Orange — AlicanteA Garnacha made with no added SO2, fermented and aged in tinajas. Pink-orange in colour. Subtle on the nose, with red cherry, spice, mineral notes, and ripe red apple. Restrained but with good acidity. An oxidative style that rewards patience — the wine opens with air, revealing layers of Mediterranean herb, clay, and sun-warmed stone. Light in body but complex in spirit. A wine for those who understand that colour is not destiny — and that a pink wine can have the soul of a red and the intellect of a white. Tinaja-fermented. Zero sulphites.
Bernabé Navarro "Les Cipresses de Usaldón"
Red — Villena, Finca BalaguerFrom Garnacha Peluda — the hairy-leafed variant of Garnacha — using semicarbonic maceration. 14.5% alcohol, no added SO2. Powerful, fresh, and a bit minty and meaty on the nose, with spicy, peppery black fruits. There's a savoury edge to the black fruits, with earthy notes and rustic spiciness. Dense, structured, and vivid, with some grip. Rustic but lovely — a wine of raw power and honest texture that demands a hearty meal and a slow evening. The kind of wine that reminds you why natural wine matters: because it can be this alive, this uncompromising, and this delicious. ~1,000 bottles.
Bernabé Navarro "Acequión" & "Tipzzy"
Sparkling / Pét-Nat — AlicanteBernabé's experimental sparkling wines — made naturally, without dosage, without sulphites, and without the industrial processes that strip pét-nat of its character. Acequión is a "sea Moscatel" — deep yellow, with aromas of orange peel and yellow apples, slightly bubbly, and profoundly saline. Tipzzy is a mountain blend of Monastrell and Garnacha — light red, easy to drink, and joyfully alive. Both are bottled with their native yeast, fermented to natural pressure, and disgorged by hand. They are not polished. They are not predictable. They are bubbles with personality — the kind of sparkling wine that makes Champagne seem boring.
Bernabé Navarro "Beryna" & "Casa Balaguer"
Red — Villena, Finca BalaguerThe estate's structured red blends — Beryna and Casa Balaguer — that announced Bernabé's arrival as a winemaker of serious intent. These are blends of Monastrell, Tempranillo, Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon — fruity, delicate, of long structure and freshness, with a delicious mineral touch. The Beryna 2013 received 93 points from Robert Parker — a remarkable score for a natural wine from an unheralded region. These wines proved that Alicante could produce reds of international quality without international intervention — no selected yeasts, no excessive extraction, no cosmetic oak. Just grapes, time, and the Vinalopó sun. ~1,000 bottles each. Minimal sulphites.
Bernabé Navarro Experimental / Limited Releases
Variable — AlicanteBernabé's experimental edge — small-lot cuvées that push the boundaries of what natural wine in Alicante can express. These may include the Colección Elementos — wines representing virtues of elements like "Agua", "Tierra", "Metal" — or single-parcel bottlings from specific slopes of Finca Balaguer, or extended skin-contact whites beyond the standard Tinajas de la Mata. The common thread is zero or minimal sulphites, indigenous yeast, and total creative freedom guided by the vintage. These wines are not always available. When they are, they are shared with the small community of collectors who understand that Bernabé's experiments are not gimmicks but genuine inquiries into what the mountain and the sea of Alicante can express when left alone.
Legacy — The Tinaja Master, the Two Terroirs & the Grape That Refused to Be Industrialized
Bodegas Bernabé Navarro matters because it is one of the most original and influential natural wine projects in Spain — the work of a winemaker who, from an unfashionable corner of Alicante, has proven that organic farming, zero sulphites, and clay amphorae can produce wines of extraordinary complexity and international recognition. In a region where industrial bulk wine still dominates, Rafa Bernabé has shown that Monastrell can be fresh, Merseguera can be profound, and Moscatel can be dry — and that the world will pay attention if the work is honest.
His legacy is agricultural. By farming 40 hectares organically at Finca Casa Balaguer, by preserving 2.5 hectares of own-rooted, 50–70-year-old vines in La Mata national park, by cultivating the nearly extinct Rojal and championing the forgotten Merseguera, Bernabé has created a model for Mediterranean viticulture that respects the past while refusing to romanticize it. The bush vines, the sandy soils, the fossilized shells, and the mountain calcareous clay are not marketing images. They are the material reality of his work.
His legacy is also oenological. The Tinajas de la Mata — 15 days skin contact, six months in clay, zero sulphites, from own-rooted vines on fossilized shells — is a wine that almost no one else in the world could make, because almost no one else has those vines, those soils, and those tinajas. The Benimaquía Tinajas — 100% Moscatel, six months on skins, deep bronze, zero sulphites — redefines what Moscatel can be. And the Tragolargo — a zero-sulphite Monastrell that drinks like a glou-glou but thinks like a grand vin — proves that natural wine can be both approachable and profound.
And his legacy is institutional. By championing Juan Padilla's tinajas from Villarrobledo, Bernabé sparked a renaissance of clay-vessel winemaking in Spain that now includes Pepe Mendoza, Elisabetta Foradori, COS, and dozens of others. He was not the first to use amphorae. But he was the first to recognize that Spain had its own clay tradition — older than stainless steel, older than barrique, older than the DO system itself — and that it could be revived for modern natural wine. He did not import qvevri from Georgia. He looked in his own backyard and found something equally ancient, equally alive.
From the mountain estate at Villena to the sea-level sands of Torrevieja, from the grandfather's bush vines to the Phoenician Moscatel, from the wood-fired kilns of Villarrobledo to the natural wine bars of London and Tokyo, Rafa Bernabé has proven that the best way to make wine is to listen to the land, trust the clay, and remove fear from the cellar. The tinajas are warm. The wines are alive. And the drinker is transformed.