Álvaro Loza is the youngest member of Martes of Wine, the group of small, terroir-driven producers who make up a new and exciting generation of winemakers in Rioja. Born in Haro in 1995, his parents weren't involved in wine, but his great-grandfather was a shepherd who farmed some cereal and vines. His grandfather taught him that wine is all about happiness and joy. Perhaps this is why, after a year of studying mechanical engineering, Álvaro switched to a higher degree in oenology and viticulture. Today, the four small plots of land that his grandfather tended have become the cornerstone of his wine business.
Since setting his sights on the world of wine, Álvaro has never stopped travelling. He completed his first internship in a small winery in Montepellier and his second, in 2016, at the School of Oenology in Beaune (Burgundy). He then went to Napa (California) to work for three months during the harvest, and in 2017 he returned to France, to Condrieu (Northern Rhône), where he worked for nine months with a small producer. In 2018 he travelled to Tasmania, and in 2019 he worked at Domaine Léon in the Côte des Bar (Champagne), before joining the harvest at Clos Ibai in Rioja, where he made his first wines. Since then, he has moved between hemispheres, harvesting with Marlise Nieman in Bot River (Cape South Coast, South Africa) and picking grapes in Champagne and Rioja. Working at Clos Ibai has allowed him to have a tiny space in this cellar for his wines.
Loza currently produces two wines. Contacto (€25 in Spain) is an orange wine. The label is a tribute to his grandfather, with his hand and Álvaro's hand on the label, reminiscent of Michelangelo's 'Creation of Adam' fresco in the Sistine Chapel. It is a carbonic maceration Viura with two weeks of skin contact and no added sulphites. He started with barely 450 bottles, but has managed to reach 1,000 bottles for the 2021 vintage. The grapes come from an organic vineyard in Elciego.
The red wine, called Álvaro Loza, is made from his grandfather's vines, which he began to farm organically in 2019. They cover one hectare, divided into four plots: two in Haro and two in Labastida. The ones in Haro (one goblet-trained, the other trellised) are in the Zaco meander, next to the river Ebro. They combine a sandy area with another rich in pebbles. The Labastida plots (one goblet-trained and the other trellised) are located on the same terrace between Cien Reales and Las Viñuelas. Its most striking feature is a large layer of sandstone with calcium carbonate sediments. According to Loza, this soil contributes to obtaining the fresh tannins that characterise the wine and help to prolong the finish. With the exception of some white grapes and a mixture of varieties in the oldest vines, Tempranillo is the dominant variety.
The 2019 Álvaro Loza red (around €30) was made exclusively from destemmed red grapes, but in subsequent vintages white varieties and varying amounts of stems have been included. The wine is aged in large, seasoned oak barrels. Only 1,800 bottles were produced in the first vintage, but Álvaro expects to increase this figure by improving vine growing and replacing missing plants.
He also set up a pre-sale wine with customised labels to raise funds for Calcco, a famous design studio from Logroño, to create the slick, serious packaging he was looking for. "I saw it as a declaration of intent," he says. The design includes an eye-catching winged lion on the bottle's neck, which means some extra work for him as he does all the labelling by hand. The wine is really expressive and energetic, with depth and beautiful fruit, and with punch on the palate. It can be found in Spain at La Tintorería.
