Innoble 2025 festival: Growing up without growing old

Much and nothing has changed since that first Innoble in 2017. Without really knowing what to expect, a few hundred wine enthusiasts and about two dozen winemakers from the Sherry Triangle and beyond gathered in Sanlúcar. That first edition was held at El Espejo, a restaurant which, like the festival itself, has grown in every sense: quality, quantity of wines, reputation and character.

The most recent edition, held just a few days ago, was bigger, busier, more Insta-friendly and harder to manage, but it still retains that irreverent, laid-back and always fun spirit that keeps many of us coming back year after year. The witty wine-themed stickers in the loos, quoting historical figures, are a perfect example.

It must have cost them countless sleepless nights and more than a few headaches, but Armando Guerra and Rayco Fernández —along with the industrious team who keep the festival ticking— have succeeded in preserving the essence of what their mischievous, restless minds dreamed up eight years ago. Brave souls, the pair of them: not only did they decide to launch a wine festival in the sweltering south of Spain in the midst of climate change, but four years ago they also dared to start a print magazine (yes, print) in Spanish and Portuguese, which is still alive today despite the scourge of chronic screen addiction.

For two days, Innoble took over Las Caballerizas de Montpensier, an imposing and rather noble venue built in the 19th century by the Dukes of Montpensier to house their horse-drawn carriages. These days it’s a popular wedding venue and home to the cellars of the Infantes Orleans Borbón. The 85 producers were spread across two large spaces: the downstairs cellar —with poor acoustics but open both days— and the upper floor, dubbed the “VIP area” by one producer. This one was open on the second day and offered welcome air conditioning, abundant natural light and enough space to taste in comfort.

Winetanamo: Portraits of wine resistance

In addition to the tasting tables, Saturday featured several parallel sessions: Luis Gutiérrez with wines from South America; Pepe Ferrer exploring the Sherry Triangle; Manel Pla and his grower champagnes; and Dirk Niepoort, who guided attendees through his many Portuguese projects with a stop in Sanlúcar.

Wine’s great portraitist, Abel Valdenebro, was also there, setting up a photo studio in one of the cellar rooms. Many of us queued up to be photographed wearing prison garb, handcuffed and chained to bars in a cheeky performance dubbed “Winetanamo.” It was humorous but pointed —a sharp critique of the growing demonisation of wine. The festival poster, designed by Pepe Serra, carried the same message. Rayco summed it up perfectly on social media: “Guilty of drinking wine. Guilty of drinking without spitting. Guilty of not being healthy-living influencers. Guilty of still believing that wine isn’t just alcohol, but culture, land, history… and many other things that don’t fit on a nutritional label. And guilty —yes, guilty— of laughing at the absurd temptation to censor everything.”

Repeat offenders and fresh faces

As for the wines, the line-up was extensive. From Argentina came Zuccardi, with their precise wines crafted only in rounded vessels as well as Alejandro Vigil and Adriana Catena, who showed their El Reventón project in Gredos. There were also wines from Peru, Portugal, Italy and France. Several familiar Spanish names returned from previous editions —Forlong, Muchada-Leclapart, Lagar de la Salud and Los Insensatos (both under the winemaking direction of Fátima Ceballos), Viñedos Verticales, L’Enclos de Peralba, Artadi and Bhilar. David Sampedro of Bhilar cycled over 900km from Elvillar over three cold, rainy days, accompanied by fellow Rioja Alavesa grower Javier San Pedro and Catalan distributor Mia Miret.

With a mariachi band playing in the background, we also sampled wines from new faces at Innoble, including Serdio (the new incarnation of Bodegas Urium under different management) and Martínez Lacuesta, who uncorked a magnum of their 2005 Gran Reserva —a Rioja classic in XL format.

One of our discoveries this year was Bodegas El Monte, from Montilla-Moriles. Antonio López, the fourth generation of his family to produce the popular Fino Cebolla, is now rescuing forgotten treasures from Bodega Los Naranjos —his grandfather’s legacy— left untouched since 2005. Wines like the marvellous Fino Los Naranjos, still under a veil of flor, or a Foundational Oloroso, razor-sharp and seemingly endless on the palate. López is being supported in this recovery project by his friend Gabriel Raya (of Bodegas Barrero in Sanlúcar) and is also crafting new wines with selected grapes from Bodegas El Monte, aiming to showcase the unique character of the Moriles terroir. Definitely one to watch.

We did miss having a list of participating wineries and which day they were pouring. And maybe a little more time to taste. Unlike in previous years, there was no official lunch break. With a continuous schedule from 12:00 to 18:00, attendees had to choose between eating or tasting. For those of us who stepped out for a bite, the day felt all too short.

But that didn’t mean the wine —or the party— was over. Once the tastings wrapped up, the party carried on in the spacious courtyards of Las Caballerizas, where just about everyone danced to the tunes of The Wine Drinkers (with a star turn on drums from Armando Guerra’s pre-teen son), Pepsi and Los Jaguares de la Bahía. On Friday night, rumour has it that things really went off when Fredi Torres —doubling as both producer and DJ— spun immortal tracks like Te Estoy Amando Locamente by Las Grecas.

Because Innoble isn’t just a festival —it’s an attitude. A collective love letter to wines with soul, to hedonism with substance, and to drinking with critical thinking and common sense, but also with the heart. In a world that often confuses seriousness with solemnity, wine at Innoble is poured from magnums and shared without apprehension. And that, whether the festival grows or not, should never change.

Ten wines we particularly liked at Innoble:

Mestres Mas Vía 2006, DO Cava
René Barbier y Sara Pérez La Figuera Rosa 2019, DO Montsant
Las Alas de Frontonio La Tejera 2022, Aragón
Los Insensatos Parcela de La Condená 2021, Sierra de Montilla
Bodega San Francisco Javier, Fino Corrales Pago Balbaína, DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Bodegas Serdio Palo Cortado, DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Bodegas Bhilar Phinca Abejera 2019, DOCa Rioja
Eduardo Torres Acosta, Quota N 2022 Vino di Contrada, IGT Terre Siciliane
Susana Esteban, A Centenaria 2023, Serra de Sao Mamede
Zuccardi Finca Los Membrillos Paraje Altamira 2020, Mendoza

Pictures by Estanis Núñez (the good ones) and by Yolanda Ortiz de Arri