The couple’s philosophy is to produce wines that are a Mediterranean liquid postcard of the local cultural heritage. No international varieties planted and a strong belief in the local heroes Muscatel de Alexandria and Girò. Aida and Luis follow the low intervention philosophy as well: wild fermenting, no filtering, no additives except for a very low sulphur dose (always less than 30ppm total), no fining agents, etc. The 2020 vintage (the one first imported here in NY state) doesn’t have any added sulfites.

The local grapes are historically grown here and adapted pretty well to the harsh summer conditions on the coast and its surrounding hills. This district is literally just like hell for at least 4 months (from June onwards), while during the rest of the year the climate is very moderate with low rainfall’s level.

The climate changes with regard to location. Along the sea, temperatures are warm. The farther up in the mountains you go, it gets colder helping the grapes to retain freshness and acidity.

The couple manages only 4 hectares (all rented) and skips any synthetic chemicals or pesticides, Harvest is done manually. Sheep are free to roam among the vines till April providing a natural compost and fertilizer. In the cellar, the vinification starts from spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, avoiding filtration and clarification and other useless invasive practices (adding color, enzymes, protein, liquid tannins, etc).

The estate is a proud member of Vella Terra which is the most important exhibit for natural wines in Spain. The production is very limited with roughly 12.000 bottles yearly (quantities may change according to vintage’s characteristics).

This is a local red grape variety cultivated in some areas near the Mediterranean cost. In Italy is cultivated in the province of Cagliari and Oristano (West e South West Sardegna) and wine historians and ampelographers have speculated that the grape has Spanish origins and may have been brought to Sardinia in the 15th century.

There has been a long association between red Girò and the Girò Blanc grown in Majorca, one of the Balearic Islands. French ampelographer Pierre Galet was a pioneer in speculating that Girò and Giró blanc might be separate grape varieties and not just the result of the color mutations. Galet’s hypothesis was confirmed by DNA analysis in 2007 showing that the two grapes were, indeed, different varieties.

Girò was in danger of disappearing because of the advent of phylloxera in the second half of the 18th century – many preferred planting more productive and less problematic varieties.

The Girò planted in the Alicante area comes from Mallorca and well adapted to the local soils and climate. Not all the Girò found here are the same, meaning that the variety presents some differences from plot to plot and ampelographic studies are still searching the scientific truth. Anyhow we are happy to represent the Girò produced by Aida I Luis!

The Girò grape has shown itself to thrive in very hot and dry climates and, when cultivated with moderate yields and green harvest, can produce juicy, fresh, dry wines marked by soft tannins and appealing salinity. A touch of earthiness (leather and herbs) brings more and more excitement. Overall the acidity is high and almost unusual, if compared to other Spanish varietals.  

Steep Hill is proudly introducing in the NY market two wines from this estate made with the local heroes Moscatel de Alexandria and Girò.

Tahulla 2020: this is a dry unoaked wine made with Moscatel de Alexandria (part of the endless Muscat family) variety from vineyards located nearby Benitatxell village in the Mediterranean Coast in Alicante area. The plots receive constant sea breeze bringing the salty freshness which works greatly for the Moscatel grapes. The soils in the area are mainly white clay.

The label of this wine is inspired by the location of the vineyards that face towards the sea, and the silhouettes of the couple behind the winery project impersonating the starred sky. The nebula is a sophisticated representation of the wine lees.

Winemaking notes: pre-fermentation skin maceration for 3 days, spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts at low temperatures, afterwards several months aging on its lees. No added sulfites (only natural sufites generated by the alcoholic fermentation). Total production: 4.000 bottles. 13% AbV.

Maboi 2020: 100% Girò (12,5% AbV). The fruit is sourced from the highest vineyards in the local  natural park of the Sierra de Bernia (620 meters of altitude), located only 6 km from the sea. The soil is marked by iron clay soils with limestone layers.

This is a total handmade wine: manual harvest, natural fermentation with indigenous yeast in small stainless steel vats. Part of the grapes are destemmed and part are whole bunch. The lees stirring were manual done with a soft touch. Unoaked

No clarifying, filtering or other invasive practice. No added sulfites (only natural sufites generated by the alcoholic fermentation).Total production: 4.180 bottles.

Maboi means “come and see” or/and  “my friend” in the Maori language and this is a reference to the time spent by the couple in New Zealand. The label focuses on local festivities costumes, representing the duality between innovation and tradition.