Meet the producers

Bodega Encina Blanca de Alburquerque

The first thing visitors are taken to see at Bodega Encina Blanca is a curious granite rock just outside the winery. It is carved with a narrow groove leading to a Roman-era lagar, which allowed grapes to be crushed by foot and begin their fermentation right in the heart of the vineyard. It lends a nice historical counterpoint to the modern winery opened by owner José Rivero in late 2016 – a nod to the long winemaking past of this corner of Extremadura.

That contrast of the modern with the deep history is a hallmark of Rivero’s operation. Named after the mature white oaks that share the estate with 15ha of vines planted in 2007, Encina Blanca has earned respect locally for its attempts to recover, understand and work with the numerous local grape varieties (many near extinction, some still unnamed) found in a precious pre-phylloxera vineyard filled with pie franco (own-root) vines over 150 years old. Rivero has partnered with the regional government to identify the 30 varieties, making micro-vinifications from each one.

The Encina Blanca winesare field blends of up to 19 varieties, among them Alarije, Bastardo Blanco, Beba, Cigüente, Folgasão, Pardina and Zurieles. They fit alongside international and Spanish varieties – such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Tempranillo and Verdejo – in a portfolio characterised by a liveliness of fruit. That’s the result, Rivero says, of the Atlantic influence and the 450m altitude in the west of Extremadura, which deliver a wide, freshness-preserving difference of up to 20°C between day-time and night-time temperatures during the growing season.