This family winery, run by Roberto Antón Aguirre, a biologist specialising in ornithology, follows in the footsteps of his great-grandfather Ricardo Agramonte, known as "Rebote", who made wine in the basement of his house in Ablitas, in the Ribera Baja region of Navarra, in the 19th century.
Ubeta's main asset is its vineyard: 30 hectares of over 45-year-old vines, mostly organically certified Garnacha. The plots are located in the villages of Ablitas, Barillas, Cintruénigo and Fitero, on the border with Aragón, under the imposing presence of the Moncayo mountain. This is the highest area in Ribera Baja, with vineyards ranging from 400 metres above sea level to just over 500 metres in Fitero, where the influence of the Sistema Central mountain range is stronger.
The old vineyards also contain other varieties such as Garnacha Roya (Gris), Pasera (or Rojal; a variety that was hung to dry and used for food), Vidau, Garzuela (a cross between Garnacha and Mazuelo), Morate or Desgranadera (also known as Tinto Velasco).
The climate is continental, with little rainfall, and strongly influenced by the cierzo, the fresh, dry wind from the Ebro valley, which cools the grapes and slows down their ripening. The soils are stony and rich in pebbles, with varying amounts of clay on a layer of limestone.
Aguirre, who has a master's degree in oenology and combines his work at the winery with his job as an ornithologist, was determined to produce organic wines, a certification that helps with sales in Europe, particularly in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK, but also in countries further afield, such as Japan.
Aguirre, who has a master's degree in oenology and combines his work at the winery with his job as an ornithologist, was determined to produce organic wines, a certification that helps with sales in Europe, particularly in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK, but also in countries further afield, such as Japan.
The winery, where he has been making wine since the 2016 vintage, is largely underground, allowing for natural climate control. While natural yeasts are the norm here, the wines are aged in a variety of vessels: foudres, concrete tanks and barrels. For the time being, they sell some of their grapes, although Aguirre points out that there is not much willingness to pay a fair price for those from old vines, where much of the work is done by hand.
The range of wines revolves around Garnacha. It starts with a trilogy of wines featuring red, white and rosé versions of this variety, with the red (20,000 bottles) and the barrel-fermented Garnacha Blanca (5,000) aged in concrete and oak barrels. While the white includes a small amount of Viura, the other two have around 5% of the varieties found in old vineyards. Retail prices in Spain are around €19, except for the rosé, which sells for €12.
The original Ubeta Joven de Viñas Viejas (3,000 bottles, €17) is a red wine fermented with the stems and aged in concrete. The top wine, Berabal de Ubeta (1,650 bottles, €60), is made from the oldest Garnacha vines and shows remarkable depth. It is fermented in foudre and aged in foudre and concrete tanks.
