What transpires when a sommelier and a winemaker decide to join forces? The answer is simple: something extraordinary. Aitor Paul, sommelier at Lavinia, and David Villamiel, a winemaker in the Méntrida region (Castilla La Mancha), not only share a robust education from the Escuela Profesional de Viticultura y Enología de Madrid but also an unwavering passion for wine. More importantly, they share a clear vision: to create wines that honour and celebrate garnacha in its unique granite terroir. Under the name A Pie de Tierra, symbolising a profound and direct connection with the vineyard, these two enthusiasts have turned their vision into reality. Across 20 hectares scattered around the village of Méntrida, they produce 10,000 bottles annually that embody everything they cherish: authenticity, respect for the environment, and above all, wines they relish drinking.
One of their wines, El Surco, previously known as A Dos Manos, has reimagined its image and name to reinforce the concept of labouring the land and connecting with nature. The furrow, that line etched into the earth with effort and care, signifies the beginning of the viticultural cycle: preparing the ground for vines to grow robust and healthy. It is with this very philosophy that this wine is crafted. Grapes of garnacha from a 40-year-old vineyard with granitic, silty-textured soil and deep undulations are cultivated biodynamically and harvested manually in traditional rubber buckets, to keep them fresh in the morning and avoid the extreme summer heat. In the winery, vinification is conducted naturally with 60% whole clusters, spontaneous fermentation, and indigenous yeasts. Maceration extends from 20 to 25 days, and thereafter, the wine matures for 10 months in used 225-litre French oak barrels. Finally, it is bottled unfiltered and unfined, preserving its authenticity.
A Pie de Tierra El Surco is a village wine crafted with meticulous artisanal care and minimal intervention. A wine not only to be enjoyed but to be felt. A bottled experience that begins in the furrow of the earth and culminates in your glass.