Giant’s Playground 2024 Red

With its fragrant, terroir-driven Garnachas and old mountain vineyards, Gredos has been one of the driving forces behind the “new Spain”, helping shift the country’s focus away from powerful reds with extended ageing. Its dramatic landscape and the scope it offers for a low-intervention approach to winemaking have also attracted producers from outside Spain.

The latest wave of arrivals, several of whom we have already featured in SWL, has brought together local investors and foreign winemakers. Among them are Domaine Dexaie, whose wines are crafted by Argentinian Emmanuel Campana and his partner Carmen de la Pascua, from Cádiz; and Indiano, run by Maca Nogara from Argentina and Frenchman Charly Gotchac. Another high-profile project, El Reventón, is backed by Adrianna Catena and Alejandro Vigil from Argentina alongside Irish engineer Gearóid Lane.

The project we’re writing about today is considerably more modest but no less adventurous. Pete James is a New Zealand geologist with a master’s degree in oenology and viticulture who has worked at wineries across Europe, including Rioja, as well as the New World. “What began as a casual motorbike ride after the harvest led to a life-changing decision: to settle down and start my own venture,” he explains on Instagram, where he describes himself as “the Kiwi vigneron of Gredos”.

Under the PJ Antípoda Viticultor brand, James farms just over four hectares of leased vineyards in Cebreros and El Barraco, recently adding a parcel in San Juan de la Nava at 1,000 metres elevation. The grapes are fermented with whole bunches and foot-trodden, resulting in a semi-carbonic maceration. Lacking the budget for clay or concrete vessels, he aged the wine in fibreglass tanks instead.

That makes wines like this 2024 Giant’s Playground all the more impressive.  A blend of Garnacha from Cebreros and El Barraco, it is a savoury wine full of flavour, with crisp herbal notes from the stems but none of the accompanying tannic grip . Clean, lively and straightforward, it is a thoroughly enjoyable red to sip over the summer.

The label neatly captures James's unique perspective on the region. When he first encountered the enormous granite boulders that dominate the landscape, he imagined a giant had scattered them across the place. That image inspired both the illustration and the name of the wine. Some distributors have apparently urged him to change the design, arguing that it does not project the image of a serious wine. To me, however, it speaks of his personal connection with the landscape. The label is eye-catching, and the wine itself offers an accessible introduction to the Garnacha style of Gredos. 

Production is very limited, but the price remains affordable. James produces around 5,200 bottles a year. While he does not currently use any geographical indications, from the 2025 vintage onwards some of his wines will carry the DO Cebreros seal.

13% abv.
Below 1,000 bottles
€19 
Score: 92