Goyo García Viadero

Goyo Garcia Viadero started to work at the family’s bodega aged fourteen and continued while studying agronomy at university. By the time he graduated he had already trialled additive-free winemaking, emulating the wines made by his grandfather and drunk with the elders. He bottled his first wine without sulphur and under his name in 1986 at 21 years old, coincidentally Pierre Overnoy eschewed the use of SO2 at the same period, so it’s no wonder the two became friends in later years. Following his studies, Goyo ran a 1000ha estate in La Mancha for years, producing olive oil, cheese and wine, he happily came back home in 2003 to buy and run his first fincas: Viñas de Arcilla, El Peruco and Valdeolmos, setting up today’s operations. Since then Goyo has been on a mission recovering old co-planted vines, around Roa and Aranda de Duero, strongly advocating for the traditional low density (2000 to 3000 vines/ha), low yielding (25 to 30hh) bush vines found in the prime terroirs of the ribera alta – the only area producing quality grapes in his eyes, the more fertile baja zone being well-suited for cereals! Chemicals are banned, soils are regularly ploughed to prevent grass competition, and sheep manure is used as an amendment. He harvests early, usually at the start of October, based on tartaric acid level rather than sugar, destems but does not crush the grapes and co-ferments tinto fino (tempranillo) with albillo (a native white variety) as found in the vineyard. The wines are patiently raised underground in perfect conditions, in an impressively deep and centuries-old cueva (cave).