Variety: Tempranillo

Alfredo Maestro’s family came to Peñafiel from the Basque Country. Having grown up amongst the vines, he had a great interest in wine and started making his own from an early age. From the beginning, he farmed organically, yet in the cellar he worked literally by the book, teaching himself enology from a textbook, using all the tricks to make a “correct” wine of Ribera del Duero. He would use cultured yeasts, tannins, color enhancers, etc. It took some time, but Alfredo eventually had a revelation—as an organic farmer, why would he use chemicals to adjust the finished wine? It made the most sense for his cellar work to match the integrity which he used in the vineyard—so he did just that. He began eliminating unnecessary products and additives. By 2003 he was making wine without additives whatsoever, including sulfur.

Viña Almate is the first wine that Alfredo made, named after himself (Al-ma-te). This is an entry-level Duero wine made from Tempranillo (Tinto Fino) sourced from various plots. The wine has a serious bit of stem inclusion, resulting in a powerful, spicy, and full-bodied red. It is fermented in stainless steel and spends the winter resting in vats.