The Teacher, the Dream & the Do-Nothing Farm
In the Cidacos Valley, on the Isasa hillside, Martín Alonso Etayo — a schoolteacher who had always lived in cities — and his wife Gloria Plaza bought land in 1992 and became one of Spain's first certified organic wineries. From 5 hectares at 600–700 metres, they make zero-additive, no-oak, Joven-style Rioja using Masanobu Fukuoka's do-nothing farming, sheep fertiliser, and a solar-powered cellar.
Origin — 1992, the City & the Fantasy That Became Land
Martín A. Alonso Etayo studied magisterio — teacher training — and spent his early professional life as a schoolteacher. But his whole life, he had been attracted to nature and country life, and had always lived in cities. He carried a fantasy — an ilusión — that one day he would farm his own land. In 1992, after a lifetime of dreaming, Martín and his wife Gloria Plaza Medina finally purchased land on the Isasa hillside, part of the Cidacos Valley in Rioja Baja — the easternmost sub-zone of the Rioja DOCa, historically warmer and more Mediterranean than the Alta and Alavesa. The land was not merely vineyard. It was a mixed farm: vineyards, olive groves, almond trees, and quince trees, all sharing the same calcareous, iron-laced clay.
From the very beginning, they adopted organic farming — certified by Ecyssa in 1992, making them one of the earliest certified organic producers in Spain, long before organic viticulture became fashionable or even understood by their neighbours. The method was — and remains — eclectic and open to new ideas, drawing from multiple philosophies: Masanobu Fukuoka's permaculture, Jean Marie Roger's biodynamic theories, and Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophical agriculture. Through these influences and Martín's now 30+ years of experience, they have achieved a simple and effective method that improves and regenerates the soil. "There is a saying that goes 'I wanted to change the world, but nothing changed, I changed myself and everything changed'. I believe that really defines my organic philosophy."
When they began, their neighbours were critical. Organic farming in 1992 Rioja was seen as eccentric at best and negligent at worst — a refusal of the chemicals that everyone else relied on to maximise yield. But after many years, the neighbours started to change too. Martín and Gloria's persistence, the health of their vines, and the quality of their fruit gradually convinced the sceptics. It is an inspiring story of quiet revolution — not through argument, but through example. The teacher who changed himself ended up changing his valley.
The name Viña Ilusión is not merely poetic. It is literal — ilusión means dream, fantasy, the thing you wish for. For Martín, the vineyard was the materialisation of a lifetime's dreaming. And the wine that comes from it is the liquid form of that dream: honest, unadorned, and deeply rooted in the place where a city dweller finally found his earth.
The Place — The Isasa Hillside, 600 Metres & the Sheep
The Cidacos Valley sits in the eastern reaches of Rioja — Rioja Baja, now officially renamed Rioja Oriental — a landscape of rolling hills, river valleys, and a more Mediterranean climate than the Atlantic-influenced Alta to the west. The Isasa hillside rises above the valley floor, offering a slightly higher altitude — 600 to 700 metres above sea level — and a microclimate that allows Martín and Gloria to grow not only vines but also olive trees, almond trees, and quince trees alongside their vineyard. It is a mixed farm in the old style, before monoculture became the industrial norm.
Limestone, Iron & Clay at 600–700 Metres
The vines are planted on loamy soils with sand, silt, and permeable clay — soils rich in limestone and iron, giving the wines a distinct mineral backbone and a certain bloody, ferrous tension that is rare in Rioja Baja. The altitude — 600 to 700 metres — is among the higher elevations in the sub-zone, providing cooler nights that preserve acidity and slow ripening in a region that otherwise tends toward heat and haste. The result is fruit of surprising freshness and aromatic clarity — Tempranillo and Garnacha that taste like mountain rather than plain.
No-Till, Fukuoka & the Do-Nothing Method
The farming is no-till — inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka's "do-nothing" natural farming, a Japanese philosophy that rejects ploughing, tilling, synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, and even most forms of weeding. Fukuoka believed that the human intellect should be removed from the decision-making process — that nature, left alone, achieves a balance that human intervention only disturbs. Martín and Gloria have adapted this to their vineyard: they do not plough the soil, they allow natural ground cover to grow, and they let the ecosystem find its own equilibrium. It is a supremely hands-off approach that makes biodynamic farming look interventionist by comparison.
Sheep, Solar Power & the Closed Loop
Sheep are used to fertilise the vineyard — they graze between the rows, deposit manure, and contribute to a closed-loop ecosystem that requires no imported inputs. The winery is powered by solar energy — a practical choice that reflects the project's commitment to self-sufficiency and minimal environmental impact. Today, Martín and Gloria farm 12 hectares of land spread over many different vineyard plots, though the core vineyard is roughly 5 hectares of vines at 30 years of age. The rest is olive, almond, quince, and the wild herbs that Fukuoka encouraged. It is a farm, not a factory — an organism, not a machine.
The Mediterranean Microclimate
Despite its altitude, the Isasa hillside benefits from the Cidacos Valley's Mediterranean microclimate — warm, dry summers, mild winters, and the protective influence of the valley walls. This allows Martín and Gloria to cultivate not merely vines but also olive and almond trees — plants that would struggle in the cooler, wetter conditions of Rioja Alta. The diversity of crops is not merely aesthetic. It is functional: the trees provide shade, the herbs attract pollinators, the sheep control weeds, and the vineyard produces wine. It is permaculture in its purest form — every element supporting every other.
Winemaking — Joven, the Grandparents & the Underground Tank
Martín and Gloria's cellar philosophy is governed by a single intention: to make the kind of wine their grandparents used to make and drink. That means Joven — young, fresh, unoaked, low in alcohol, and meant for immediate pleasure rather than cellar ageing. It means no oak barrels, no extraction, no high alcohol, no manipulation. It means hand-harvesting into small boxes, gentle destemming, and spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts in stainless steel tanks. The wines are lightly filtered before bottling — a pragmatic choice that ensures clarity without stripping character — and receive only a miniscule addition of sulphur dioxide at bottling (around 35 mg/L for the main cuvée, zero for Prana).
The Viña Ilusión cuvée — the estate's signature red — is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, and fermented with wild yeast in stainless steel. The style is deliberately Joven — very drinkable and fresh, the kind of wine that their grandparents would have drunk straight from the barrel, before Rioja became synonymous with Crianza, Reserva, and the tyranny of oak. "Don't expect oak, extraction and high alcohols," the importers warn. "This is an easy-going wine." It is a wine for the table, for the afternoon, for the moment when you do not want to think about wine — you simply want to drink it.
The Prana red — named after the Sanskrit word for life force — is a more radical expression: 100% Tempranillo (with some Garnacha and Cabernet Sauvignon in certain vintages), fermented spontaneously in stainless steel with 50% of the grapes destemmed and 50% whole-cluster carbonic maceration. The wine is then aged for eight months in an underground steel tank — a buried vessel that maintains natural temperature stability without artificial climate control. Zero sulphur is added. The result is a wine of extraordinary purity and freshness — juicy plum and cherry, hints of spice and herbs, medium-bodied, and deeply satisfying. It is natural wine in its most honest form.
The Prana Blanco — 100% Tempranillo Blanco — is made from free-run juice, fermented spontaneously in stainless steel, left for one month on the lees, then aged for several more months in tank. Zero sulphur. The result is a white wine of pale yellow colour, fresh and delicate, with white fruits, lemon, a touch of creaminess, and a zippy finish. It is a white Rioja that has nothing to do with the heavy, oxidised, oak-aged whites of the past. It is transparent, mineral, and alive — a wine that proves Tempranillo Blanco can be as expressive as any white variety in Spain.
The Wines — From the Dream to the Life Force
Viña Ilusión produces a small, focused range of wines from its 5 hectares of 30-year-old vines at 600–700 metres in the Cidacos Valley — all certified organic since 1992, no-till, Fukuoka-inspired, and made with minimal intervention. The range is deliberately compact: a classic Joven red, a zero-sulphur red with carbonic maceration, and a zero-sulphur white — each expressing a different facet of Martín and Gloria's philosophy and the limestone-iron-clay terroir of the Isasa hillside. The winery is solar-powered. The sheep fertilise the vineyard. And the wine tastes like a dream that finally came true.
Viña Ilusión Tinto
Joven red — Cidacos Valley, RiojaThe estate's signature wine and the original dream — a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Isasa hillside at 600–700 metres. Hand-harvested, destemmed, and fermented spontaneously with wild yeasts in stainless steel. The style is deliberately Joven — young, fresh, and unoaked, the kind of wine their grandparents used to make and drink. The nose is of juicy plum and cherry, with hints of spice and herbs. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh, and easy-drinking — a wine that does not demand analysis, only enjoyment. Lightly filtered before bottling with a miniscule addition of SO₂ (~35 mg/L). For tapas, for grilled meats, for the long Sunday lunch. ~13% ABV. Certified organic, vegan-friendly.
Viña Ilusión "Prana" Tinto
Natural red — Cidacos Valley, RiojaThe life force in liquid form — 100% Tempranillo (with possible contributions from Garnacha and Cabernet Sauvignon in certain vintages) from 30-year-old vines on limestone-iron-clay soils. Hand-harvested, with 50% of the grapes destemmed and 50% left whole-cluster for carbonic maceration. Spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel, then aged for eight months in an underground steel tank — a buried vessel that provides natural temperature stability without artificial intervention. Zero addition of sulphur dioxide. The result is a wine of extraordinary purity — red berry fruit, wild herbs, a touch of earth, and a juicy, mouthwatering finish. Medium-bodied, vibrant, and alive. A wine for those who understand that natural wine does not need to be funky to be honest. ~13% ABV. Certified organic, zero SO₂.
Viña Ilusión "Prana" Blanco
Natural white — Cidacos Valley, RiojaA zero-sulphur white of extraordinary delicacy — 100% Tempranillo Blanco, the white mutation of Rioja's great red grape, grown on the same limestone-iron-clay soils as the reds. The grapes are gently pressed to obtain free-run juice, which is then fermented spontaneously in stainless steel. The wine rests one month on its lees, gaining texture and depth, then ages for several more months in tank before bottling. Zero addition of sulphur dioxide. The result is a wine of pale yellow colour — fresh, delicate, balanced, with white fruits, lemon, a touch of creaminess, and a zippy finish. It is a white Rioja that has nothing to do with the oak-aged, oxidised styles of the past. It is transparent, mineral, and alive — proof that Tempranillo Blanco, when treated with patience and zero additives, can achieve a finesse that rivals any white variety in Spain. ~12.5% ABV. Certified organic, zero SO₂.
Viña Ilusión Experimental / Limited Releases
Variable — Cidacos Valley, RiojaMartín and Gloria's experimental edge — small-lot cuvées that explore the boundaries of what no-till, Fukuoka-inspired viticulture can express. These may include single-varietal bottlings of Graciano or Garnacha, short-maceration skin-contact whites, or wines aged in alternative vessels beyond stainless steel. The common thread is indigenous yeast, minimal intervention, and the refusal of oak. These wines are not always available. When they are, they are shared with the small community of natural wine enthusiasts who have discovered this quiet, principled project in the eastern reaches of Rioja. Certified organic. Variable SO₂.
Legacy — The Teacher, the Valley & the Neighbours Who Changed
Viña Ilusión matters because it is one of the quietest and most principled wine projects in Spain — the work of a schoolteacher who, in 1992, bought land on a hillside in Rioja Baja, certified it organic before almost anyone else in the country, and spent three decades proving that Fukuoka's do-nothing farming, sheep fertiliser, and solar power could produce wines of extraordinary honesty and freshness. In a region where Rioja has become synonymous with oak, extraction, and high alcohol, Martín Alonso Etayo and Gloria Plaza have created a portfolio that includes zero-sulphur Tempranillo, carbonic-maceration Prana, and a Tempranillo Blanco of crystalline purity — all without oak, all with wild yeast, all made in the Joven style that their grandparents drank.
Their legacy is agricultural. By farming 5 hectares organically since 1992 — one of the earliest certifications in Spain — by adopting no-till, Fukuoka-inspired permaculture, by using sheep to fertilise the vineyard, and by creating a mixed farm of vines, olives, almonds, and quince in an era of monoculture, Martín and Gloria have created a model for viticulture that is closer to a closed-loop ecosystem than to a commercial enterprise. The solar-powered winery is not a marketing feature. It is a practical expression of self-sufficiency.
Their legacy is also cultural and communal. When they began, their neighbours were critical. Organic farming was seen as eccentric, even negligent. But after 30+ years of persistence, the neighbours have started to change too. Martín did not argue with them. He simply farmed — and the health of his soil, the quality of his fruit, and the honesty of his wine gradually convinced the sceptics. It is a lesson in the power of example over rhetoric: the teacher who changed himself ended up changing his valley.
And their legacy is philosophical. "I wanted to change the world, but nothing changed, I changed myself and everything changed." The sentence is not merely an organic philosophy. It is a life philosophy — a recognition that the only revolution that matters is the one you make in your own practice, your own land, your own habits. Martín and Gloria did not set out to transform Rioja. They set out to farm their own land, to realise their own ilusión, and to make wine like their grandparents made it. In doing so, they have created something far more radical than any manifesto: a working example of how wine can be made without chemicals, without oak, without extraction, and without compromise.
From the city to the Cidacos Valley, from the classroom to the vineyard, from the neighbours' criticism to their gradual conversion, from the dream of 1992 to the zero-sulphur Prana of today, Viña Ilusión is a testament to what happens when a teacher decides that the earth is older than the appellation, that the sheep is truer than the tractor, and that the best way to change the world is to change yourself. The dreamer has spoken. The valley listens. And the drinker is transformed.