Bodegas Moraza

The Spanish region of Rioja is one of the most famous in the world. It is therefore not surprising that, due to the high demand, the emphasis here is on high yields rather than on the quality of the wine. On the other hand, small wineries are also appearing here, for which the goal is not to make a heavy wine with a strong expression of the barrel, as is common in Rioja, but they are looking for their original path through which they would authentically reflect the local terroir in their wines. One such is Bodegas Moraza in the Rioja Alta region. It is now run by Janire and Patricio Moraza, it was Janire who convinced her father and uncle to convert their 18 ha of land to organic. That's when their interesting journey began. Around the village of San Vicente de la Sonsierra, they now farm organically on 23 hectares of vineyards with varieties such as Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano or Viura. The fundamental difference in their wines is the spontaneous fermentation and aging in concrete tanks instead of oak barrels, thus all wines retain their freshness, more drinkability and fruitiness. Nevertheless, they have to admit that these are absolutely clear wines from the north of Spain - they have the intensity and character of the mentioned varieties. They divide the wines according to individual parcels (tracks), which have their own specific conditions. Gradually, they identify more and more with biodynamic practices such as the use of herbal sprays or the choice of work according to the lunar calendar, and last but not least, they try to develop biodiversity on their land, which is something less usual for the Rioja region.