The Shepherd's Grandson, the Belgian Traveller & the Only Winery in a Village of 100 Souls
In Labraza, a medieval village of fewer than 100 inhabitants at the easternmost edge of Rioja Alavesa, Iker García and Alice Bridoux make biodynamic, 100% natural wines from indigenous varieties on clay-limestone soils at 650 metres — the highest winery in the sub-region, surrounded by owls, horses, and vines that remember a time before industrial wine existed.
Origin — The Shepherd's Grandson, the Traveller from Wallonia & the Common Ideal
Viñedos Hontza is a love story that happens to be a winery — or perhaps a winery that happens to be a love story. It was founded in 2015 by Iker García and Alice Bridoux, two people from opposite ends of Europe who met in Spain while each was searching for a different path to carry out a common ideal: to live in harmony with nature, caring for the earth and its beings, respecting their cycles and their needs.
Iker is the grandson of a shepherd and the son of a farmer — a lineage of land workers that stretches back generations in the Basque Country. He grew up knowing what hard work meant, looking at the elements, learning from nature what it had to teach. This curiosity led him to study Environmental Sciences at the University of Vitoria-Gasteiz, followed by theoretical and practical training in various places across Europe. He returned to his father's vineyards in Labraza — a medieval village of barely 100 souls in the easternmost corner of Rioja Alavesa — with a conviction that the land his family had worked for decades could be farmed differently. Better. More respectfully.
Alice is from Wallonia, Belgium — a region as far from Rioja Alavesa as one can get within Europe, both geographically and culturally. After studying audiovisual communication, performing arts, cultural management, and pedagogy, she launched herself into the world. In her travels, she trained in permaculture, horticulture, and active pedagogy — disciplines that would open the path to her future. She met Iker on the road, in one of those encounters that seem accidental until you realize they were inevitable. They shared the same ideal. They shared the same restlessness. And they decided to share the same village.
In 2015, they returned to Labraza and created the project Hontza — the Basque word for "owl", a symbol of quiet wisdom and deep connection to nature, and a homage to the native owls that live in the autochthonous pine forest surrounding their land. First, they dedicated themselves to converting Iker's father's vineyards to organic production. Then, little by little, they immersed themselves in biodynamic agriculture — a path that unites contemporary scientific knowledge with the spiritual aspects of human beings and nature. A path, as Iker and Alice see it, for understanding life in its totality.
The Place — Labraza, 650 Metres & the Highest Winery in Rioja Alavesa
Labraza is a village of approximately 100 inhabitants in the municipality of Oyón, on the border between Álava and Navarra, at the easternmost edge of Rioja Alavesa. It sits at 670 metres above sea level — an altitude that, despite the Mediterranean climate of the Ebro Valley, brings a cool freshness to the wines, creating a kind of microclimate that is rare in the region. Viñedos Hontza is the first and only winery in Labraza — a distinction that is not merely geographical but philosophical. In a village this small, there is no room for pretense. Every action is visible. Every decision is known. And the wine, accordingly, is honest.
The Highest Winery in Rioja Alavesa
Labraza is the only place in Rioja Alavesa with a winery at 650 metres — a fact that gives the wines a crazy fresh energy (as one visitor described it) that is unmistakable in a region where much of the production occurs at significantly lower elevations. The altitude moderates the heat of the Ebro Valley, preserving acidity and creating a natural balance between ripeness and freshness. The vineyards are goblet-trained (vaso) — the traditional bush-vine system of Rioja — with vines ranging from 30 to 100 years old. The older plants, in particular, produce tiny quantities of fruit with extraordinary concentration, their roots digging deep into the poor, rocky soils in search of water and minerals.
Clay, Limestone, Sand & No Land Consolidation
The soils of Labraza are a patchwork of clay and limestone, sometimes sand, and generally very poor — soils that force the vines to struggle, to dig deep, to express their place with an intensity that rich, fertile earth would dilute. A crucial feature of the region is the absence of land consolidation — the plots are isolated from each other, scattered across the hillsides, each with its own orientation, exposure, and microclimate. This means that from one vineyard to another, the conditions can shift dramatically: north-facing vs. south-facing, clay vs. sand, sheltered vs. exposed. It is a viticultural patchwork that makes farming more difficult but makes the wine more interesting. Iker and Alice work with this diversity rather than against it, vinifying some parcels separately to differentiate the different terroirs that can be found in Labraza's rocky landscape.
Horses, Owls & the Biodynamic Farm
The vineyard is not merely biodynamic in certification. It is biodynamic in practice — a living farm where real horses plow the soil, mow the grass, and keep the surrounding meadows in check. The horses are not decorative. They are part of the team — a sustainable, traditional, and charmingly effective method of vineyard management that connects the farm to its pre-industrial past. The preparations used for the care of the vines are totally natural, homeopathic, and collected from their immediate surroundings — compost teas, herbal infusions, and the classic biodynamic preparations (500, 501, and others) applied according to the lunar calendar. The result is a farm that is not merely chemical-free but actively alive — a place where biodiversity is not a goal but a consequence.
The Grapes — A Genetic Ark of Rioja
The estate is planted exclusively to indigenous varieties — not merely the famous ones, but the forgotten ones that Iker and Alice are actively recovering from disappearance. The core varieties are Tempranillo, Garnacha, Viura, Mazuelo (Carignan), and Graciano. But the real treasure lies in the old, nearly extinct varieties that survive in their centenarian vineyards: Calagraño — a white grape almost lost to Rioja; Miguel de Arco — a rare red of uncertain origin; Cojón de Gato — a variety whose name alone suggests a certain rustic character; Parrillera — another forgotten white; Maturana Tinta — a dark, structured red; and Tintorera — a teinturier variety that adds color and depth. These are not museum pieces. They are working plants — part of field blends that have been co-planted for generations, and that Iker and Alice are determined to preserve. As they say: "We are working to maintain a genetic capital that would have otherwise disappeared."
Winemaking — Tuning Forks, Sacred Geometry & the Calm of the Cellar
The winemaking philosophy of Viñedos Hontza is captured in a single, uncompromising commitment: 100% natural wine. This means no sulphiting, no clarification, no stabilization, native yeasts only, unfiltered wines — and, on occasion, only a minimal sulphur-based protection just before bottling. The wines are not "natural" as a marketing category. They are natural as a practice — a consequence of a farming philosophy that begins in the biodynamic vineyard and continues, without interruption, into the cellar.
Since they started, Iker and Alice have had a clear principle: the production of healthy, creative, and well-made wines. Creativity in winemaking is key — in addition to the care they bring to their work in the vineyard. Each vintage is different, since each year is different (climate), and they like to adapt and find new ways of doing things so that the wines are structured and balanced. There is no fixed recipe. There is no standard protocol. There is only the year, the parcel, and the intention.
The cellar itself is small, humble, and exactly the kind of place where magic happens — as one visitor described it. But the most distinctive feature of the Hontza cellar is not its size or its equipment. It is its atmosphere. Iker and Alice take care of the calm and harmony that reigns in the winery, with the help of tuning forks and sacred geometry. The tuning forks — resonating at specific frequencies — are used to create a vibrational environment that supports the living processes of fermentation and ageing. Sacred geometry — the ancient understanding of proportional relationships that govern natural forms — is applied to the layout and design of the cellar space. These are not esoteric decorations. They are tools of intention — ways of aligning human activity with the natural order that biodynamics seeks to restore.
The wines are made in three categories: Vinos de Pueblo — wines that capture the vibe of the whole village, blending grapes from different valleys, orientations, soils, and altitudes; Vinos de Parcela — single-vineyard wines from individual, exclusive parcels chosen for their age, exposure, and character; and Vinos Experimentales — wines made in ways that are not habitual in the region, or that fuse different winemaking traditions from around the world. This three-tier structure allows Iker and Alice to express both the unity of Labraza (through the village wines) and the diversity of its terroirs (through the single parcels), while leaving room for play and innovation (through the experimental cuvées).
The range is eclectic — red, white, orange, pét-nat, clarete, gurgle, plot wine — and deliberately so. Iker and Alice do not believe in making the same wine every year. They believe in listening to the year and answering with the wine. The result is a portfolio of approximately 10 references and 17,000 bottles — a small project that does not intend to grow much. It is, as they say, a human-scale operation — handmade, hand-harvested, and heart-driven.
The Wines — From the Village Hontza to the Centenarian Garaya & the Experimental Vendedor de Humo
Viñedos Hontza produces approximately 10 references and 17,000 bottles per year — a deliberately small output divided into three categories: Vinos de Pueblo (village wines that represent Labraza as a whole), Vinos de Parcela (single-vineyard expressions of specific sites), and Vinos Experimentales (innovative cuvées that push the boundaries of what Rioja Alavesa can express). All wines are 100% natural — spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts, unfiltered, with minimal or zero sulphites, and made with the creative adaptability that defines the Hontza philosophy.
Hontza
Red — Vino de Pueblo — Labraza, Rioja AlavesaThe flagship village wine — the wine that carries the name of the project and the spirit of Labraza. A blend of 40% Tempranillo and 60% Garnacha Tinta, Graciano, and Mazuela — sourced from goblet-trained vines of more than 35 years across the different valleys, orientations, soils, and altitudes of the village. The grapes are chosen each year according to the vintage, with the intention of representing Labraza as faithfully as possible. Hand-harvested, spontaneously fermented in concrete tanks with wild yeasts, with soft extractions and minimal sulphites. The result is a wine of remarkable freshness and earthy honesty — red cherry, wild herbs, pepper, and a mineral backbone that speaks of the clay-limestone soils at 650 metres. A raw, natural style of wine, full of earthy notes and spice. ~13% ABV.
Too Mahats
Red — Vino de Pueblo — Labraza, Rioja AlavesaAnother village-level expression of Labraza — a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Viura that captures the breadth of the village's viticultural landscape. Like the flagship Hontza, the grapes are selected from across the different parcels according to the conditions of the year, with the goal of representing the full spectrum of Labraza's terroir — from the warmer, south-facing slopes to the cooler, north-facing valleys. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, unfiltered, with minimal intervention. The inclusion of Viura — the traditional white grape of Rioja — adds a layer of freshness and aromatic lift that transforms the wine from a standard red into something more complex, more alive, more Labraza. ~12.5–13% ABV.
Hontza Selección
Red — Vino de Pueblo — Labraza, Rioja AlavesaA selection-level village wine — a more focused expression of Labraza's potential, made from the best parcels in a given vintage. The blend is 25% Garnacha Tinta and 75% Tempranillo — a higher proportion of Tempranillo than the standard Hontza, giving the wine more structure, more depth, and more ageing potential. The grapes are hand-harvested, selected parcel by parcel, and vinified with the same minimal-intervention philosophy: concrete tanks, wild yeasts, soft extractions, no fining, no filtering. The result is a wine that is classic in its Rioja character but radical in its naturalness — dark cherry, smoked paprika, Mediterranean herbs, and a long, mineral finish. A wine for those who understand that natural wine does not mean rustic wine. ~13–14% ABV.
Hontza Zuria
White / Orange — Vino de Pueblo — Labraza, Rioja AlavesaA white wine that defies easy categorization — made from 70% Viura and 30% Calagraño, two indigenous white varieties of Rioja. Calagraño is a grape that has been almost entirely lost from the region — a variety that Iker and Alice are actively recovering from their old vineyards. The wine is made with skin contact, giving it an amber-orange hue and a grippy, textured palate that bridges the gap between white and orange wine. Fermented spontaneously, unfiltered, with minimal sulphites. The result is a wine of extraordinary originality — citrus peel, white peach, wild herbs, and a smoky, mineral undertow that speaks of the limestone soils and the high altitude. One importer described it as "a terrific example of gastronomic skin contact styles of Basque wine, with a lovely mineral, floral, citrus and spice character." ~12–13% ABV.
Behera
Red — Vino de Parcela — Labraza, Rioja AlavesaA single-vineyard wine from the parcel called "Batiñuelo" — a site chosen for its age, exposure, and distinctive character. The blend is 95% Garnacha Tinta, 2% Tempranillo, and 3% Calagraño — a Garnacha-dominant wine that showcases the variety's capacity for freshness and finesse when grown at high altitude on poor soils. Hand-harvested, spontaneously fermented, unfiltered. The result is a wine of pronounced red fruit flavors — strawberry and raspberry — complemented by herbal and floral notes of violet and grass. Full-bodied but smooth and elegant, with a structure that speaks of the vineyard rather than the cellar. Limited edition: ~1,000 bottles. ~13% ABV.
Valtide
Red — Vino de Parcela — Labraza, Rioja AlavesaA single-vineyard wine from the parcel called "Las Balsas" — a site of extraordinary character that Iker and Alice have chosen to bottle on its own. The blend is 95% Mazuela (Carignan) and 5% Tempranillo — a reversal of the usual Rioja formula that puts the often-neglected Mazuela in the starring role. Mazuela is a variety that thrives in the poor, rocky soils of Labraza, producing wines of intense color, high acidity, and remarkable ageing potential. Hand-harvested, spontaneously fermented, aged with minimal intervention. The result is a wine of extraordinary depth and structure — dark berry fruit, wild herbs, smoked meat, and a mineral spine that carries the wine through a long, savory finish. Limited edition: ~700 bottles. A wine for collectors who understand that Mazuela is not merely a blending grape but a variety of profound potential. ~13–14% ABV.
Garaya
Red — Vino de Parcela — Labraza, Rioja AlavesaThe most complex and historically significant wine in the Hontza range — a field blend of more than 10 different indigenous varieties from the centenarian vines of "Miralasbuenas" — a vineyard so old that it predates the modern standardization of Rioja. The blend comprises 30% white grapes and 70% red grapes, including Tempranillos Antiguos, Garnacha, Graciano, Miguel de Arco, Tintorera, Viura, Calagraño, Maturana Tinta, and others — a genetic library of Rioja's past, co-planted in the traditional manner that has all but disappeared from the region. Hand-harvested, co-fermented, unfiltered. The result is a wine of extraordinary complexity and depth — layer upon layer of red and black fruit, wild herbs, spice, smoke, and a mineral finish that seems to contain the entire history of the vineyard in a single sip. Limited edition: ~500 bottles. A wine that is not merely a bottle but a time capsule. ~13–14% ABV.
Vendedor de Humo — Rosado
Rosé — Vino Experimental — Labraza, Rioja AlavesaAn experimental rosé that fuses different winemaking techniques from around the world — a wine made in a way that is not habitual in Rioja Alavesa. The blend combines Tempranillo (direct press) with Mazuela and Graciano (saignée) — two methods of rosé production merged into a single cuvée. The direct press gives freshness and pale color. The saignée gives structure and depth. Together, they create a rosé that is neither Provence nor traditional Rioja but something altogether new — a wine that proves Iker and Alice's conviction that creativity is as important as tradition. Hand-harvested, spontaneously fermented, unfiltered. Limited edition: ~1,500 bottles. ~12% ABV.
Vendedor de Humo — Ancestral
Pét-Nat / Ancestral — Vino Experimental — Labraza, Rioja AlavesaA sparkling rosé made by the ancestral method — a single fermentation that begins in tank and finishes in bottle, capturing the natural effervescence of the grape without dosage, disgorgement, or any industrial process. Made from 100% Tempranillo — the signature grape of Rioja, transformed into a wine of wild, unfiltered energy. The result is a pét-nat that is fizzy, fruity, and refreshing — a wine for sunset, for friends, for the moment when the work is done and the only thing left to do is drink. One visitor described it as the "perfect combo" — a glass of ancestral Tempranillo at sunset, in a medieval village, with nothing but the sound of owls and the fading light. Limited edition: ~1,500 bottles. ~11.5% ABV.
Viñedos Hontza Experimental / Limited Releases
Variable — Labraza, Rioja AlavesaGiven the small scale of production and the creative, vintage-responsive philosophy of Iker and Alice, Hontza's output includes a range of experimental and limited cuvées that shift from year to year. These may include extended skin-contact whites (orange wines) from Viura or Calagraño, carbonic maceration reds from Garnacha, single-parcel bottlings from newly acquired sites, or co-ferments of red and white varieties in proportions that change with the harvest. The common thread is not a recipe. It is a philosophy: to adapt, to experiment, to find new ways of doing things so that the wines are structured and balanced. These wines are shared primarily with the small community of natural wine specialists who understand that Hontza is not a brand but a conversation — a dialogue between the vineyard, the year, and the intention of two people who refuse to make the same wine twice. Extremely limited.
Legacy — The Genetic Capital, the Tuning Fork & the Better World
Viñedos Hontza matters because it represents the most holistic natural wine project in Rioja Alavesa — a farm, a cellar, and a life governed by a single intention: to live in harmony with nature, caring for the earth and its beings, respecting their cycles and their needs, undertaking each day for the well-being and joy of all, ultimately for a better world. In a region that has been dominated by industrial scale and standardized taste, Iker and Alice have created a model for viticulture that is closer to stewardship than to production — 12+ hectares, 17,000 bottles, no ambition to grow, and a conviction that the best wine is the one that requires the least intervention because the vineyard has already done the work.
Their legacy is agricultural. By farming biodynamically — with horses, homeopathic preparations, and a deep respect for the lunar calendar — by recovering indigenous varieties that would otherwise have disappeared (Calagraño, Miguel de Arco, Cojón de Gato, Parrillera, Maturana Tinta), by maintaining centenarian field blends that contain the genetic memory of pre-industrial Rioja, and by working in a village where no land consolidation has erased the natural patchwork of terroirs, they have created a farm that is not merely organic but actively regenerative — a place where biodiversity is increasing, where the soil is improving, and where the owls that give the winery its name still hunt in the pine forest at night.
Their legacy is oenological. The Garaya — a field blend of 10+ varieties from centenarian vines, 30% white, 70% red, ~500 bottles — is a wine that almost no one else in the world makes, because almost no one else has access to these vines. The Valtide — 95% Mazuela from a single parcel, ~700 bottles — is a wine that champions a variety that the modern Rioja industry has neglected. The Hontza Zuria — 70% Viura, 30% Calagraño, skin contact — is a wine that recovers a white grape from near-extinction and transforms it into something gastronomic and original. And the Vendedor de Humo Ancestral — 100% Tempranillo pét-nat — is a wine that proves Rioja's signature grape can sparkle without industrial process. Each wine is a small, verifiable proof that another path is possible.
And their legacy is philosophical. Iker and Alice's conviction — that creativity in winemaking is as important as care in the vineyard, that each vintage demands a new approach, that the cellar should be a space of calm and harmony (maintained with tuning forks and sacred geometry), and that the best way to honor a 100-year-old vine is to let it speak without a filter — has resonated with a wine culture that is hungry for meaning, for connection, for wine that tastes like the place it came from and the people who made it. Their wines are not for everyone. They do not try to be. They are for those who understand that the owl watches, the horse ploughs, and the wine, when it is ready, speaks.
From the shepherd's grandson who studied Environmental Sciences, to the Belgian traveller who trained in permaculture, from the medieval village of 100 souls to the highest winery in Rioja Alavesa, from the biodynamic preparations collected from the surrounding land to the tuning forks that hum in the cellar, from the centenarian field blend of Miralasbuenas to the experimental pét-nat of Vendedor de Humo, Viñedos Hontza is a testament to what happens when two people decide that the best way to make wine is to live well — to care for the earth, to respect the cycle, to listen to the owl, and to share what the vineyard gives with good people and positive energy. The owl has spoken. The village listens. And the drinker, if patient enough, is invited into a world that is quieter, older, and more alive than the one they left behind.