Two Hands & a Mule
In Banyuls-sur-Mer, where the Pyrenees meet the Mediterranean, Manuel Di Vecchi Staraz tends 5.5 hectares of ancient vines on sheer schist terraces. Originally from Tuscany, he was drawn to this dramatic landscape and works without tractors or modern tools—just his hands and his mule, Ullamp. Yields are among the lowest in France; intensity is unmatched.
Tuscan Soul, Catalan Vines
Manuel Di Vecchi Staraz is originally from Tuscany, Italy, but was drawn to the dramatic landscape and unique way of life in Banyuls-sur-Mer, in the heart of French Catalan country bordering Spain. At the foot of the Pyrenees mountains and a few hundred metres from the Mediterranean, he found his calling as a vigneron.
He now looks after a number of small parcels of old vines—Grenache, Carignan, and Mourvèdre—planted over sheer shale terraces that run along walls of dry stone. These are ancient bush vines, many up to 80 years old, battered by wind from the sea and bathed in Mediterranean sun. Nearby, he also tends an old vineyard of Carignan planted over sandstone northwest of Perpignan in Latour-de-France, from which he produces the cuvée Orcio Judas.
"No mechanization or modern tools are used in the vineyards or cellar. Everything is done by hand."
— Louis/Dressner
Schist Terraces & Ullamp the Mule
The estate comprises 5.5 hectares (some sources cite 2-4 hectares for the core Banyuls vineyards) scattered across vertiginous, terraced slopes high above the Mediterranean. The soils are schist—flaky, decomposed, and mineral-rich—planted with old bush vines that produce among the lowest yields in France. This is vineyard work as it was done centuries ago: no tractors, no machines, just human and animal power.
Manuel works the vineyards organically (he holds certification but no longer bothers to put it on his labels), using a pioche (pickaxe) and the help of his mule, Ullamp. The terraces are held by dry stone walls, and the slopes are too steep for any mechanization. Vines are hand-tended, hand-harvested, and the grapes are transported by mule or muscle. This is not romantic affectation—it is the only way to farm these extreme parcels, and it produces grapes of extraordinary concentration.
Schist soils high in the hills above Banyuls-sur-Mer, with sheer shale terraces held by dry stone walls. Some parcels in sandstone (Latour-de-France). Old bush vines of Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre. Mediterranean climate with sea winds and mountain influence. 300+ meters altitude.
Ullamp is Manuel's indispensable partner. Without mechanization, the mule carries harvested grapes and tools up and down the steep schist slopes. This is traditional Catalan viticulture—working the land with animal power, just as it was done for centuries before industrial farming.
Foot Stomping, Hand-Blown Glass
In the cellar, Manuel works with the same pre-industrial ethos. Grapes are crushed by foot, destemmed by hand, and fermented naturally in open vats. Manuel breaks the cap with his hands when he feels it's necessary—no mechanical punch-downs, no pumps. The wines are then racked manually to old barrels or terracotta amphorae for aging.
Perhaps most distinctive is Manuel's commitment to eschewing industrial glass. To avoid modern manufacturing, all bottles are blown by a local artisan—hence the distinctive damijon-style bottles (rounded, hand-blown shapes) that have become the estate's visual signature. This is wine as total craft object: from the soil to the glass, everything passes through human hands. Bottling is done with no additions—no sulfur, no adjustments, just the wine as it has fermented.
The Philosophy
Manuel is not dogmatic about "natural wine" as a marketing term, but he is rigorous about process. He works primarily without sulfites, but is never against using them if a wine lacks stability or has potential to develop flaws. This freedom from ideology allows him to make wines that are true to his vision and stable enough to be served by the glass—wines that will be just as good on day two as at opening. Practical, honest, and pure.
Vinyer de la Ruca & Tutti Frutti Ananas
Manuel operates two distinct labels. Vinyer de la Ruca is his original project: tiny quantities (often 200-300 bottles per cuvée) from his own steep parcels, hand-crafted in the traditional Banyuls style, aged in old barrels or amphorae, bottled in hand-blown glass. These are the serious, concentrated wines from 80-year-old vines—the essence of the terroir.
In 2017, he started Tutti Frutti Ananas—an easier-going, more approachable range made from purchased organic fruit. These come from a parcel he tends in Collioure, plus grapes from organic friends in nearby Port-Vendres and Argelès-sur-Mer. Bottled young, brimming with life, and affordable, these are the "laidback, uplifting wines people reach for every day on the Mediterranean." Same farming standards (organic), same hands-on approach, but lighter, fresher, and more immediate.
"These are bottled young, brimming with life and are the kind of laidback, uplifting wines people reach for every day on the Mediterranean."
— Tutto Wines
The Vinyer de la Ruca Range
Production is extremely limited—often just a few hundred bottles per cuvée. All wines are from organic vineyards (Manuel's own or purchased organic), hand-harvested, foot-stomped, naturally fermented, aged in old barrels or amphorae, and bottled without additions. The hand-blown bottles are distinctive and irregular—each one unique.