This project was launched in 2017 by sommelier Aitor Paul, who works in the distribution team at wine merchant Lavinia, and David Villamiel, a winegrower from Méntrida, shortly after they completed their studies at the Madrid School of Viticulture and Oenology.
Their focus is Garnacha, sourced from old vines between 40 and 90 years old in the mid-section of the Alberche Valley, where granite, sand and quartz dominate the soils. Most of the vineyards are in Méntrida and belong to David’s family, but they also lease a couple of plots in Aldea del Fresno, in the foothills of the Sierra de Gredos, already within the Madrid region, where the soils have a higher iron content. In total, they farm around 20 hectares, which they describe as “inland Mediterranean landscape”.
This diversity of sites and soils is not the only challenge they face. The fact that they work across two provinces, two autonomous regions and under two DOs (Méntrida and Vinos de Madrid) creates considerable logistical and bureaucratic complications.
Recovering Garnacha
David’s grandfather was a grower who made wine for home consumption. However, his father, like many of his generation, pulled out the old Garnacha vines and replanted with Tempranillo to sell to the local cooperative. “Back then there were no subsidies unless you planted so-called ‘improving varieties’,” David recalls. “Now we’re turning that trend on its head and bringing Garnacha back.” Their plan involves uprooting nine hectares and replanting four with bush-trained Garnacha, using massal selection from old vines. They’ve also introduced Garnacha Blanca near a stream that borders their most prized vineyard in the Ronca de Mazalba valley, along with small amounts of Cariñena and Albillo grafted onto Tempranillo rootstock.
One of their biggest challenges in the vineyard is preserving acidity without harvesting too early and while still achieving full ripeness. In the winery, Aitor and David and Aitor follow a low-intervention approach, with spontaneous fermentations, indigenous yeasts and organic practices, although they are not certified. Looking ahead, they hope to move towards ageing their wines in concrete, a material they feel best suits the style they are aiming for.
The wines
They currently produce four wines: three under the Méntrida appellation and one under Vinos de Madrid. El Surco (10,000 bottles, €14.50) is the entry-level wine, made from various Garnacha plots in Méntrida. After a 35-day maceration with skins, the wine is partially destemmed and aged for eight to 10 months in used 300-litre barrels. The aim is to create a bright, approachable red that reflects this once-thriving, now largely forgotten winegrowing area in the centre of Spain.
A Fuerza Bruta (6,000 bottles, €19) is a fresh, fragrant Garnacha grown on sandy, granulated soils in the Dehesa de Navayuncosa (Aldea del Fresno, Madrid). The vines were planted in the 1960s on land owned by a Madrid-based entrepreneur who leases it to them. Fermentation takes place with whole bunches and involves only the gentlest of extractions to preserve the delicacy of the variety. The wine is aged for eight to ten months, depending on the vintage, in a 500-litre oak barrel and a 2,000-litre untoasted chestnut cask from Asturias —a traditional vessel in local cider production.
Ronca de Mazalba (800 bottles, €32) comes from a single hectare of 50-year-old Garnacha vines in the namesake valley in Méntrida. The south-facing plot, on sandy and silty soils with a 20% slope, benefits from the cooling effect of a nearby stream, which adds freshness and finesse. Until 2022, the grapes went into the El Surco blend, but from the 2023 vintage onwards it has been bottled separately due to its distinctive character and vibrant fruit expression. After meticulous berry selection, the wine undergoes a 60-day maceration with whole bunches, gentle foot treading and manual cap submersion to ensure minimal extraction. Ageing takes place in used 500-litre barrels for 10 months, resulting in a wine that is bright, crunchy and supremely elegant.
A Pie de Tierra Rancio (€37) is a tribute to the winemaking heritage of Méntrida. Made from 100% Garnacha, it follows the traditional oxidative ageing process using a solera system. The base wine —topped up with El Surco— rests in two 500-litre casks whose “mother wine” has been preserved since at least the 1930s. Just one annual bottling takes place, yielding between 50 and 100 bottles.
Still ageing in the cellar is Cruce del Collado, a new single-vineyard wine with a structured, austere profile, though no release date has been set. It hails from half a hectare in Real de San Vicente (Tiétar Valley), facing east-northeast. The site, once abandoned due to its low yields, appealed to Aitor and David precisely for its cooler climate and slightly higher rainfall.
For now, winemaking takes place in a small space within the Navayuncosa estate, until they can convert a house belonging to David’s grandfather in Méntrida, which will allow them to work in more comfortable conditions. Production under the A Pie de Tierra label is currently just under 20,000 bottles, although including bulk wine and custom projects, total output reaches almost 40,000 bottles. The long-term goal is to gradually phase out these commissioned wines and focus entirely on bottling fruit from their own vineyards.