The Four Fathers, the Salt Flats & the Wind That Saves Vines
In 2020, four friends from the professional world of wine — Pepe, Hilarión, Álvaro, and Alberto — joined their paths to solve one dilemma: the disappearance of traditional varieties, emblematic vineyards, and unique production methods of the Valencian Community. From 15 hectares between the salt flats of La Mata and the old Bobal vineyards of Requena, they make ~15,000 bottles a year of zero-sulphite wine, one micro-vinification per plot, using yeasts harvested from the vineyard itself.
Origin — 2020, the Four Fathers & the Frustration That Became a Mission
In 2020, four friends from the professional world of wine — Pepe Rodríguez de Vera, Hilarión Pedauyé, Álvaro Ruiz, and Alberto Soriano — joined their paths, driven by a single, urgent goal. They were all fathers. They were all professionals. And they were all frustrated. They had watched, impotently, as the traditional varieties, emblematic vineyards, and unique production methods of the Valencian Community disappeared to make way for the mass production industry. They had seen privileged terroirs constantly mistreated to produce wines without soul. And they decided, together, to do something about it. "Faced with the impotence of seeing how traditional varieties, emblematic vineyards and unique production methods of the Valencian Community disappear to give way to the industry, the mistreatment of privileged terroirs and wines without soul, they decide among the 4 to develop a Levantine project with the mission of change that trend."
Pepe Rodríguez de Vera is the most visible face of the quartet — a pharmacist by training from Albacete who comes from seven generations of viticulturists. He founded his own bodega, Rodríguez de Vera, in 2010, studied enology at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, earned his WSET Level 4 Diploma in London, and has been accepted as a Master of Wine candidate. He is also the founder of The Wine Bunker, a global wine trading company, and an explorer who has spent his career searching for singular vineyards across Spain. But for all his credentials, Pepe is, at heart, a viticultor — a man who believes that the vineyard is the only classroom that matters.
Hilarión Pedauyé, Álvaro Ruiz, and Alberto Soriano complete the foursome — each bringing his own expertise, his own connections, and his own frustration to the project. Together, they are four fathers who share the same idea of viticulture: the preservation of endangered varieties, a conscious management of the vineyards, and a proposal of singular wines. They are not looking for profitability. "In this project, we don't look for profitability but rather we act upon what we are passionate about." It is a luxury that few wine projects can afford, and a commitment that even fewer are willing to make.
The project was born in possibly the most mythical place of the Valencian Community: the Natural Park of La Mata in Alicante — a place that in ancient times had 250 hectares of vineyard, of which only 35 remain today. At the same time, a project Pepe was developing in Requena with old Bobal vineyards was folded into this new staging. They quickly began to include new plots of Monastrell, Cariñena, Valencí Negre, and other indigenous varieties. The name — Sopla Levante — refers to the Levante wind, the warm, dry easterly wind that blows across the Mediterranean coast and is essential to the viticulture of the region. The wind saves the vines from humidity. The wind shapes the wines. The wind is the fifth member of the team.
The Place — La Mata, the Salt Flats & the Sand
The Natural Park of La Mata is located in the extreme south of the province of Alicante, bordering the town of Torrevieja. Together with the El Hondo and Santa Pola salt flats, it forms a wetland area that is unique in terms of biodiversity — the main salt production site in the Mediterranean, a sanctuary for flamingos, and one of the most extreme viticultural environments in Europe. The vineyards here stand just a few meters from the beach and the salt flats, on sandy soils that drain rapidly and reflect the sun's heat back into the canopy. The climate is brutal: extreme weather, high salinity, and the constant presence of the Levante wind, which dries the vines and concentrates the sugars while preserving a surprising freshness in the grapes. It is a place that should not produce fine wine. And yet it does.
La Mata — Vineyards at Sea Level, Beside the Salt
The La Mata Natural Park is a magical place — ancient vineyards standing at sea level, just metres from the beach, surrounded by salt flats that have been producing sea salt since Roman times. The soils are sandy — pure, white, draining sand that forces the vines to struggle for every drop of water. The salinity in the air is palpable; you can taste it on your lips. The extreme weather and salinity conditions provide an incredible personality to the wines — a saline, almost maritime character that is extraordinary for a Mediterranean vineyard. The four friends manage part of the remaining 35 hectares, working plot by plot, vine by vine, to keep the ancient vineyards alive.
Requena — Old Bobal & the Mountain Region
Beyond La Mata, Sopla Levante works in Requena — the high, continental plateau of Valencia, famous for its old Bobal vineyards and its brutally cold winters. The Bobal here is sourced from 90-year-old vines — gnarled, bush-trained, dry-farmed survivors that produce tiny quantities of intensely concentrated fruit. The contrast between the two terroirs — the coastal salinity of La Mata and the mountain austerity of Requena — gives Sopla Levante its range: white, orange, rosé, and red, each expressing a different facet of the Levante's viticultural wealth. The project is not confined to one place. It is a mosaic of the entire Valencian Community.
The Levante Wind — The Fifth Member of the Team
The name Sopla Levante refers to the Levante wind — the warm, dry easterly wind that blows from the Mediterranean across the coast of Alicante and Valencia. It is the predominant wind of the region, and it is essential to viticulture: it dries the vines after rain, prevents fungal diseases, and concentrates the flavours in the grapes. Without the Levante, the humid coastal climate would be impossible for organic farming. With it, the vineyards thrive in conditions that would otherwise destroy them. The wind is not merely meteorology. It is character — the invisible ingredient in every bottle.
Indigenous Varieties — Some the Only Ones in the World
Sopla Levante works with a remarkable catalogue of indigenous varieties — many of them endangered, nearly extinct, or unnamed: Merseguera, Muscat of Alexandria, Valencí Negre, Monastrell, Bobal, Parrell, Forcallat, Esclafagerre, Cariñena, Gustico de Elche, Crujidera, and others. Some of these micro-vineyards are currently the only ones in the world being managed. The project collaborates with the University of Valencia to determine varieties that still do not even have a name, and to study minority varieties that have never had a leading role but that the four friends believe can be interesting today. It is not merely viticulture. It is archaeology — a rescue mission conducted one vine at a time.
Winemaking — Micro-Vinifications, the Pied de Cuve & the Cantueso Barrel
The philosophy of Sopla Levante is stated with the clarity of men who have nothing to prove and everything to save: micro-vinifications of very limited availability, one for each plot, made in a natural way with minimal intervention. There is no industrial scale. There is no homogenisation. Each plot has its own fermentation, its own yeast, its own character. The total production is roughly 15,000 bottles across six expressive vintages — white, orange, rosé, and red — and the bottle shape is deliberately reminiscent of the Fondillón alicantino, the historic sweet wine that once made Alicante famous across Europe. It is a nod to the past, packaged for the present.
The winemaking is radical in its purity. No sulphites are added in any elaboration. The yeasts are not purchased from a laboratory. They are harvested from within the vineyard itself — the four friends make a pied de cuve in the vineyard, using the wild strains of yeasts that live on the skins of their own grapes, and then transfer this starter to the winery to begin the fermentation process of that specific plot. It is a technique of extraordinary precision and risk: if the pied de cuve fails, the wine fails. But when it succeeds, the result is a wine that tastes like nowhere else — because the yeast, like the grape, like the soil, is unique to that single spot.
The four friends are not merely traditionalists. They are innovators — obsessed with extracting the maximum expressive value from each wine. They age some wines on chips made with dried vine shoots from that same vineyard — a technique that imparts the wood's character without the expense or the flavour dominance of barrels. They age others in barrels that have previously contained Cantueso liquor — a local herbal liqueur that leaves a trace of aromatic complexity in the wood. They experiment with maceration and pressing during winter at temperatures below zero — a cryo-extraction that concentrates flavours and tannins. And they also recover old techniques of the area: biological and oxidative ageing, and rancidity processes in damajuanas (glass demijohns) — the traditional vessels of Mediterranean wine culture.
The result is a portfolio that spans the entire spectrum of natural winemaking: fresh whites, skin-contact oranges, delicate rosés, and profound reds — each made from a different variety, a different plot, a different method. The common thread is not a technique. It is an intention: to bring the simplicity of an unknown variety or a spectacularly unique terroir to its maximum expression. "Our challenge with Sopla Levante is to bring the simplicity of an unknown variety or a spectacularly unique terroir to its maximum expression."
The Wines — From the Salt Flat White to the 90-Year-Old Bobal
Sopla Levante produces approximately 15,000 bottles a year across a range of six expressive vintages — white, orange, rosé, and red — each a micro-vinification from a specific plot, made with zero sulphites and bottled without treatment. The wines are labelled as Vino de España or under their respective DOs, and the bottle shape deliberately recalls the Fondillón alicantino — the historic fortified wine that once made Alicante the envy of European courts. The range is small but it covers the entire emotional spectrum of the Levante: salt, sun, wind, and the stubborn refusal to disappear.
Sopla Levante "Blanco"
Moscatel — La Mata, AlicanteThe estate's most produced wine — 100% Moscatel de Alejandría from 60-year-old vines on sandy soils in the La Mata Natural Park, hand-harvested, destemmed, crushed, and macerated for 6 months in stainless steel tanks. The result is a wine of extraordinary aromatic clarity and saline freshness — lemon, citrus, mineral background with saline notes, Mediterranean herbs and spices. Dry, medium acidity, medium body. The Moscatel here is not sweet or fortified, as it is in Jerez or Málaga. It is dry, savoury, and profoundly Mediterranean — a white wine that tastes like the salt flat and the sea breeze. Bottled without any treatment. ~9,000 bottles. Zero sulphites.
Sopla Levante "La Horca"
Field blend white — La Mata, AlicanteA field blend led by Merseguera — the great indigenous white grape of Valencia, here blended with other native varieties from the La Mata sandy soils. Hand-harvested, destemmed, crushed, and macerated, then aged for 8 months in used French oak barrels that previously contained Cantaueso liquor — a local herbal liqueur that imparts a subtle aromatic complexity to the wood. The result is a wine of deep lemon colour, medium intensity, with ripe citrus, wild flowers, herbaceous nuances, balsamic notes, and an earthy background. On the palate: dry, medium acidity, medium body marked by medium tannin that gives it structure. A white wine of unusual depth and savoury complexity — proof that Merseguera, when treated with patience, can achieve a finesse that transcends its bulk-wine reputation. ~2,500 bottles. Zero sulphites.
Sopla Levante "Pinomar"
Orange wine — La Mata, AlicanteAn orange wine of extraordinary character — 95% Merseguera, 5% Moscatel, hand-harvested from sandy soils, destemmed, crushed, and macerated, then aged for 8 months in used French oak barrels previously used for Cantaueso liquor. Deep lemon colour with amber reflections. The nose is intense — ripe lemon, wild flowers, herbaceous nuances, balsamic notes, and earthy depth. The palate is dry, structured, and marked by medium tannin that gives the wine a grip and a savoury intensity rare for the region. It is an orange wine that does not hide behind the trend. It is an orange wine that earns its colour through time, skin contact, and the saline minerality of La Mata. ~2,500 bottles. Zero sulphites.
Sopla Levante "La Molineta"
Rosé — La Mata, AlicanteA dry rosé from La Mata — pale salmon in colour, fresh, and deeply saline. Made from indigenous varieties grown on the sandy soils of the Natural Park, with the same zero-sulphite discipline as the rest of the range. The nose is of wild strawberry, rose petal, citrus, and a distinct Mediterranean herb note. The palate is crisp, dry, and refreshing, with a saline finish that speaks of the salt flats and the Levante wind. It is a rosé for the beach, for the terrace, and for the long afternoons when the wind blows from the east and the sun refuses to set. Light-bodied, elegant, and alive. Zero sulphites.
Sopla Levante "Bobalicius"
Bobal red — Requena, ValenciaA profound Bobal from 90-year-old vines in Requena — the high plateau of Valencia where Bobal has survived for centuries, ignored by the international wine world but cherished by those who understand its potential. Hand-harvested, destemmed, crushed, and aged for 14 months in French oak barrels. Medium-high garnet colour. Intense nose of mature black and red fruit, mountain herbs, and a distinct earthy, mineral backbone. The palate is full-bodied, structured, and deeply satisfying — a Bobal that proves the variety can achieve a complexity and an elegance that rivals Tempranillo or Garnacha, when it is given old vines, patience, and the respect it deserves. Zero sulphites.
Sopla Levante "Tinto" / Monastrell
Red — Mountainous AlicanteA Monastrell from the mountainous region of Alicante — sourced from old vines on high-altitude, rocky soils where the Levante wind moderates the heat and preserves the acidity that Monastrell needs to avoid collapsing into jam. The nose is intense — blackberries, black currants, cherries, and a touch of wild Mediterranean scrub. The palate is juicy and full-bodied, with ripe tannins and a long, savoury finish. It is a red wine that captures the wild side of the Levante: the mountains, the wind, the sun, and the refusal of the vines to surrender to the heat. Made with the same zero-sulphite, minimal-intervention discipline. Zero sulphites.
Sopla Levante Experimental / Micro-Vinifications
Variable — Alicante & ValenciaThe experimental edge of the four friends — micro-vinifications that explore the boundaries of what the Valencian Community's indigenous varieties can express. These may include winter cryo-macerations at sub-zero temperatures, ageing on chips made from the vineyard's own dried vine shoots, biological ageing under flor, oxidative ageing in damajuanas, or single-parcel bottlings of varieties like Gustico de Elche, Valencí Negre, Esclafagerre, Parrell, Forcallat, or Crujidera — some of which are the only vines of their kind still being managed in the world. The common thread is zero sulphites, indigenous yeast, and total creative freedom. These wines are not always available. When they are, they are shared with the small community of collectors who understand that Sopla Levante's experiments are not gimmicks but genuine inquiries into what the Levante can be when no one is watching. Extremely limited.
Legacy — The Four Fathers, the University & the Wind That Blows from the East
Sopla Levante matters because it is one of the most vital and necessary wine projects in contemporary Spain — the work of four friends who, in 2020, looked at the disappearance of the Valencian Community's viticultural heritage and decided to stop watching. From 15 hectares spread between the salt flats of La Mata and the old Bobal vineyards of Requena, they have created a portfolio that includes dry Moscatel, orange Merseguera, 90-year-old Bobal, and experimental micro-vinifications of varieties that may be the last of their kind on earth — all without sulphites, all with indigenous yeast, all with the wind as their collaborator.
Their legacy is agricultural. By managing part of the 35 remaining hectares of the ancient La Mata vineyard — down from 250 in ancient times — by collaborating with the University of Valencia to identify and preserve unnamed varieties, and by working with micro-vineyards of almost extinct grapes like Gustico de Elche and Valencí Negre, the four friends have created a living archive of Levantine viticulture. Some of their plots are currently the only ones in the world being managed. When those vines die, a piece of European history dies with them. Sopla Levante is their guardian.
Their legacy is also methodological. The pied de cuve — harvesting wild yeast from the vineyard itself — is a technique of extraordinary risk and reward. The Cantueso barrels — ageing wine in wood that previously held local herbal liqueur — is an innovation born of place, not of fashion. The vine-shoot chips, the winter cryo-maceration, the biological ageing in damajuanas — these are not eclectic gimmicks. They are a toolbox for expressing terroir, each technique chosen for the specific character it imparts, each wine matched to its method with the precision of men who have spent their professional lives studying wine and now apply that knowledge to saving it.
And their legacy is philosophical. "In this project, we don't look for profitability but rather we act upon what we are passionate about." It is a sentence that almost no wine project can afford to write, and that even fewer would dare to publish. But Sopla Levante is not a business. It is a mission — a mission to change the trend of industrialisation, to rescue the emblematic vineyards, to put in value traditional varieties, and to prove that the Valencian Community has a wine-growing wealth that the world has not yet discovered. The four friends are not merely winemakers. They are stewards — of grapes, of places, of a culture that was slipping away.
From the salt flats of La Mata to the mountains of Requena, from the 90-year-old Bobal to the unnamed varieties studied with the University of Valencia, from the Cantueso barrel to the cryo-maceration tank, Sopla Levante is a testament to what happens when four friends decide that the vineyard is older than the industry, that the wind is truer than the consultant, and that the best way to honour a region is to refuse its disappearance. The four fathers have spoken. The Levante wind listens. And the drinker is transformed.