Bodegas Menade

With five generations of winemakers behind them, the Sanz siblings have been involved since 2005 in their own project, Bodegas Menade. The winery, a pioneer in organic certification, makes its wines in the same buildings as the family's ancestors made theirs back in 1870.

Richard Sanz, a talented winemaker in the creation of white wines of character, is part of this project which has ruled out large-scale production and opted for the reclamation of terroirs with great personality, among the oldest in Castile-León. Their vineyards in Rueda (Verdejo, Sauvignon Blanc and Viura) and Toro (Tinta de Toro) comprise the largest operation accredited with organic certification in Castile-León. Convinced that only crop-growing methods that show respect for the environment can give rise to wines with personality, their winery is committed to natural treatments with medicinal and aromatic herbs (valerian and horsetail), and upholds the philosophy of minimum intervention in the wine-making process (using indigenous yeasts and no chemical additives). By this means they attain the maximum expression of the terroir in wines which are characterised by their varietal and mineral aromas, along with a light touch of oak.