The Granite Reunion & the Amandi Revival
Fredi Torres and brothers Juan and Carlos Rodríguez are the trio behind Sílice Viticultores — one of the most dynamic and terroir-focused projects in Ribeira Sacra. Based in the hamlet of Barantes de Arriba, in the municipality of Sober on the north bank of the River Sil, they farm 8 hectares of old, terraced vineyards in the Amandi zone — the most celebrated sub-region of Ribeira Sacra, where south-facing granite slopes plunge into the river canyon. The project was born in 2013 after a few beers in a bar: Fredi, a Galician-Swiss DJ-turned-winemaker who had honed his craft at Clos Mogador and Sao del Coster in Priorat, proposed a collaboration to his childhood friends Juan and Carlos, who had grown up in the canyons but left for careers elsewhere. Together, they set out to recover abandoned vineyards, preserve historic field blends, and make wines that honour the light, acidic, Atlantic-influenced reds that Fredi's grandfather once made. The vineyards are organic, the work is entirely manual on vertiginous slopes, and the wines are made with indigenous yeasts, strategic whole-cluster inclusion, and gentle extraction — aged in a mix of foudre, concrete, and stainless steel. Like several of their peers, they work outside the DO Ribeira Sacra, having left after disputes with the regulatory body in their first vintage. The result is a portfolio of racy, fresh, and seriously elegant wines that capture the bright, Atlantic fruit character of Amandi with razor-sharp detail and fierce natural energy.
Fredi Torres & the Rodríguez Brothers
The story of Sílice Viticultores begins with friendship, roots, and a few beers. Fredi Torres was born in Galicia but grew up between Rías Baixas and Switzerland, spending his early years as a DJ before falling in love with wine. He trained at two of Priorat's most respected estates — Clos Mogador and Sao del Coster — where he learned the craft of making serious, terroir-driven wines from old vines on steep, mineral soils. But Fredi never forgot the light, acidic, honest red wines that his Galician grandfather made, nor the dramatic beauty of the Ribeira Sacra canyons. He had an insatiable curiosity for new regions, a deep connection to Galicia, and a love for lighter, old-school, fresh wines — a combination that made Ribeira Sacra inevitable.
Juan and Carlos Rodríguez grew up in Barantes de Arriba, a tiny hamlet in the municipality of Sober on the north bank of the Sil — prime Ribeira Sacra winegrowing territory, surrounded by the vertiginous terraces that their ancestors had built. Like many young Galicians, they left the region for demanding careers elsewhere, but they never lost their connection to the land, their neighbours, or the historic vineyards that were slowly being swallowed by forest as rural populations declined. When Fredi proposed a collaboration — to recover old vines, farm them organically, and make wines that expressed the Amandi zone without compromise — the brothers saw a way to return home and preserve a landscape that was disappearing.
The project was founded in 2013, and the first vintage was made in a spirit of pure emotion and passion — a reunion with origins. But it was not without conflict. After issues with the DO Ribeira Sacra regulatory body during their first vintage, the trio made a decisive choice: they would forego the appellation entirely and bottle their wines as Vino de España. It was a move that freed them from homogenisation and allowed them to work exactly as they wished — co-fermenting varieties, experimenting with whole-cluster inclusion, and refusing to conform to a standardised profile. Since then, Sílice has grown from a dream shared over beers into one of the most respected names in the new wave of Galician mountain viticulture.
Fredi splits his time between Galicia, Catalunya, and Switzerland, but the heart of his work remains in Amandi. Juan and Carlos manage the vineyards with painstaking manual labour, climbing the steep terraces daily during the growing season. The trio has also become a cultural force in the region: in 2025, they co-founded Galicia Wine Taste, a wine fair held in the cloisters of Santiago de Compostela, bringing together 58 wineries and establishing a new platform for the region's most exciting producers. The story of Sílice is the story of three friends who looked at abandoned terraces and saw possibility — who chose emotion over bureaucracy, and who have proven that the best wines come from the steepest slopes and the most stubborn hands.
"People are more important than soils. This is something that has not been taken care of in an area where wine has been a subsistence product. I rely on people and I need to gain their trust; I care first and foremost for the area's growers."
— Fredi Torres
Amandi, Sober & the Sil River Canyon
Ribeira Sacra is one of the most dramatic wine regions in the world — a network of river canyons carved by the Sil and Miño through the Galician interior, where Roman-engineered terraces cling to slopes so steep they appear to defy gravity. Within this wild landscape, Amandi is the most celebrated sub-zone, located on the north bank of the Sil in the province of Lugo. It was here, in the 19th century, that the professor Antonio Casares declared the south-facing vineyards of Amandi to be "the jewel of the crown" of Ribeira Sacra — exposed to sun almost the entire day, producing wines of superior quality to those on the opposite bank. It is here, in the hamlet of Barantes de Arriba and the surrounding zones of Doade and Rosende, that Sílice farms its vines.
The estate is not a single contiguous property but a patchwork of small, terraced plots totalling 8 hectares — 1.5 hectares owned by Juan and Carlos, the rest farmed in collaboration with trusted local growers. The vineyards sit on the north bank of the Sil River Canyon, at elevations that plunge dramatically toward the water. The soils are predominantly decomposed granite, with pockets of schist and gneiss — free-draining, mineral-rich, and distinctly cold. Fredi Torres is explicit about his preference for granite: "As Mencía is low acidity, I find that cold, granite soils are best suited for this variety" — a choice that gives the wines their signature racy acidity and stony backbone.
The climate is a boundary condition: Atlantic moisture meeting continental heat. The Sil canyon creates a microclimate of high humidity, morning fogs, and dramatic temperature swings. The south-facing exposures of Amandi receive intense sun during the day, but the proximity to the river and the canyon walls creates cool nights that preserve acidity and slow ripening. The result is a long growing season that produces Mencía of low alcohol, high acidity, and bright, red-fruit character — the opposite of the dark, extracted style that dominates many warmer regions. The farming is organic: no herbicides, no synthetic fertilisers, treatments with copper and sulphur as needed. All work is done by hand on terraces too steep for machinery: pruning, harvesting into 15kg crates, and carrying grapes out on foot.
The vines are old — 20 to 100+ years — and planted in the traditional field-blend style: red and white varieties mixed together randomly in the same terraces, an agricultural strategy from another era that Sílice has preserved. The varieties include Mencía, Garnacha Tintorera, Merenzao, Albarello, Brancellao, Palomino, Treixadura, Albariño, and Godello — a genetic library of Galician viticulture growing side by side on granite walls. The result is a terroir that is simultaneously maritime and mineral, sunny and cool. The wines possess a unique tension: the ripeness and floral aromatics of Mencía, sharpened by Atlantic acidity, granite crunch, and the cool patience of a northern river canyon. From the vineyard, the view is vertigo-inducing: the Sil far below, the terraces stacked like stairs to the sky, and the granite glinting in the Galician sun. This is the terroir of Sílice: not a gentle valley, but a canyon of history and beauty, where wine is made at the edge of what seems possible.
Fredi, Juan, and Carlos are based in Barantes de Arriba, in the municipality of Sober, on the north bank of the River Sil in the Amandi sub-zone of Ribeira Sacra. They farm 8 hectares of old, terraced vineyards across the zones of Amandi, Doade, and Rosende. Amandi is the most prestigious sub-zone of Ribeira Sacra, historically regarded as the "jewel of the crown" for its south-facing granite slopes and superior sun exposure. The landscape is one of Europe's most dramatic viticultural terrains: Roman-built terraces on near-vertical slopes, river canyons, and a climate that is both Atlantic and continental.
The vineyards sit primarily on decomposed granite soils, with pockets of schist and gneiss — soils that fracture easily, drain freely, and give the wines a distinct mineral backbone, salinity, and electric acidity. Fredi Torres deliberately seeks cold granite sites for Mencía, believing that the variety's naturally low acidity is best balanced by stony, cool soils. The granite provides the signature "racy" character of Sílice wines: sharp, fresh, and unmistakably mineral. A terroir of canyon depth and Atlantic brightness.
All 8 hectares are farmed organically, with copper and sulphur treatments applied as needed. No herbicides, no synthetic fertilisers. All work is done by hand on terraces too steep for machinery: pruning on vertiginous slopes, harvesting into 15kg crates, and carrying grapes out on foot. The vines are old — 20 to 100+ years — and planted in traditional field-blend style, with red and white varieties mixed randomly. The goal is to preserve the historic vineyard architecture of Amandi while expressing the bright, Atlantic fruit character of the region.
In the small cellar, winemaking is deliberately minimal and non-invasive. Hand-harvested grapes are sorted and fermented with indigenous yeasts. Approximately 25–30% whole cluster is included for spice and structure, with the remainder destemmed. Fermentation and ageing occur in a mix of large used oak foudre, concrete tanks, and stainless steel — never new oak, never toast, never flavour additions. The wines rest on lees for extended periods before bottling without fining or filtration. Only moderate sulphites are added. The cellar is an extension of the canyon: cool, quiet, and patient.
Co-Fermentation & the Priorat-Galicia Bridge
The guiding philosophy of Sílice Viticultores is site expression through minimal intervention and emotional connection — a commitment to letting the old vineyards of Amandi speak while bridging the technical precision Fredi learned in Priorat with the Atlantic freshness of his Galician homeland. Their approach is defined by indigenous-yeast fermentation, strategic whole-cluster inclusion, gentle extraction, and ageing in neutral vessels — a methodology that prioritises the bright, red-fruit character of Mencía and the mineral tension of granite soils over power, extraction, or oak influence.
All grapes are hand-harvested from organic, chemical-free vines on steep terraces, then transported to the cellar in small crates. Rather than separating varieties — which would destroy the identity of their field-blend vineyards — Sílice co-ferments the mixed grapes together: Mencía with Garnacha Tintorera, Merenzao with Albarello, and small percentages of white grapes (Palomino, Treixadura, Godello) alongside the reds. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with native yeasts, and approximately 25–30% of the grapes are included as whole clusters, adding spice, stem tannin, and aromatic complexity. The remainder is destemmed. Extraction is gentle and manual: punch-downs rather than pump-overs, patience rather than pressure.
The wines are aged in a carefully chosen mix of large neutral oak foudre (5,200L), concrete tanks, and stainless steel — never new oak, never toast, never flavour additions. The foudre provides structure and micro-oxygenation without masking the wine; concrete preserves purity and mineral tension; stainless steel maintains freshness and fruit. The wines rest on lees for 9 to 12 months before bottling, and are released without fining or filtration — a decision that ensures no aromatic or textural nuance is lost. The only addition is moderate sulphites at bottling; otherwise, the wines are entirely the product of vine, stone, and yeast.
The Priorat influence is subtle but present. Fredi brought from Catalunya a respect for old vines, steep slopes, and long ageing — techniques that translate beautifully to Amandi's granite terraces. But he also brought a rejection of over-extraction and over-oaking, choosing instead to let the Atlantic climate and the cold granite soils dictate the wine's personality. The result is a style that is racy, fresh, and fun, yet seriously elegant — wines with razor-sharp detail and structure to age, but never at the expense of drinkability or joy. As Fredi has said, he relies first and foremost on the people and the growers of the area — a philosophy that places human connection and trust above technical intervention. The cellar is not a factory; it is a continuation of the canyon, where three friends provide only their labour, their intuition, and their absolute refusal to correct what the Sil has already made beautiful.
Indigenous Yeasts, Whole Cluster & the DO Exit
The guiding principle of Sílice Viticultores is that the wine is made by the canyon, guided by the old farmers who built the terraces, and bottled with absolutely nothing corrected. Fredi, Juan, and Carlos's approach — organic farming on decomposed granite in the Amandi zone, hand harvest from old field-blend vines, co-fermentation with indigenous yeasts, 25–30% whole-cluster inclusion, gentle manual extraction, and ageing in foudre and concrete before bottling without fining or filtration — is not a rejection of tradition but a recovery of it. The granite provides mineral backbone and electric acidity. The schist provides smoky depth. The field blend provides genetic diversity. And the trio provide only their patience, their friendship, and their refusal to homogenise what the Sil has already made distinct. The cellar is not a factory; it is a sanctuary where three friends let the mountain speak — and in 2013, they left the DO to make sure no one could silence it.
Sílice, Finca Lobeiras, Finca Rosende & the Amandi Parcels
Fredi, Juan, and Carlos produce a focused, terroir-driven portfolio of racy, fresh, and elegant wines from the old vineyards of the Amandi zone, the Doade hills, and the Rosende slopes. The core range is drawn from 20- to 100+-year-old field-blend vines on steep terraces of decomposed granite, schist, and gneiss — vines that were abandoned, recovered, and nursed back to health through organic farming and painstaking manual labour. Each cuvée reflects a specific site, a specific soil type, or a specific winemaking approach. The portfolio spans entry-level village blends, single-vineyard expressions, and rare white wines — all united by a common foundation: hand-harvested, organic grapes, indigenous-yeast co-fermentations, strategic whole-cluster inclusion, gentle extraction, ageing in foudre and concrete, and bottling without fining or filtration. The result is a range that is as diverse as the Amandi canyon itself: bright, mineral, and electric; wild, floral, and fine; a testament to the conviction that the most abandoned terraces, when handled with patience and zero compromise, produce the most joyful wines.
Ribeira Sacra & the Galicia Wine Taste
Fredi Torres, Juan Rodríguez, and Carlos Rodríguez are not merely winemakers; they are cultural architects and vineyard rescuers — a trio who have helped to transform Ribeira Sacra from a forgotten backwater into one of the most exciting wine landscapes in Europe. In an era when Spanish viticulture was dominated by large bodegas, chemical agriculture, and the homogenisation of regional styles, Sílice represented something rare and vital: a bridge between the technical precision of Priorat and the Atlantic freshness of Galicia, made by three friends who refused to let abandoned terraces disappear into the forest. They were organic in a wet region, natural in a conservative appellation, and brave enough to leave the DO when it threatened to silence them. Sílice Viticultores is not merely a source of wine; it is a model for how to revive, how to collaborate, and how to let the canyon speak.
The legacy of Sílice extends far beyond the bottle. By recovering abandoned, old-vine terraces that the industry had written off as economically unviable, they have proven that the "worst" sites — the steepest, the most difficult, the most forgotten — often produce the best wines. Their co-fermentation of red and white varieties, their strategic use of whole cluster, and their ageing in foudre and concrete have established a new paradigm for Galician red wine: one that values pale colour, low extraction, high acidity, and mineral finesse over the dark, oaky, high-alcohol style that once dominated the region. Their 2013 decision to leave the DO — sacrificing market access for artistic freedom — has inspired a generation of younger producers across Spain to question the value of appellations that demand conformity over authenticity.
The future of Sílice is tied to the future of Amandi. As they continue to map new sites, identify additional single-vineyard parcels, and push further into the remote zones of Doade and Rosende, Fredi, Juan, and Carlos remain exactly what they were in 2013: three friends with a shared dream, farming impossible slopes by hand and bottling wines that taste of nothing but granite, friendship, and the stubborn refusal to give up on a landscape that everyone else had abandoned. Their co-founding of Galicia Wine Taste in 2025 — a fair that brought 58 wineries to Santiago de Compostela — signals a new chapter: not just making wine, but building community. The story of Sílice Viticultores is the story of a DJ, two brothers, and a few beers that became a revolution — a story that is still being written, one vintage, one zero-compromise bottle, one act of Galician joy at a time.
"At Sílice we look for decomposed granite. As Mencía is low acidity, I find that cold, granite soils are best suited for this variety."
— Fredi Torres