What began in 2007 as a barrel of wine made for fun at a party became a mission to rescue the nearly forgotten grape varieties of La Manchuela from extinction.
Backstory
When siblings Ana and Iván gathered with oenologist friends for a party in 2007, they fermented a small batch of grapes and put it in a barrel, simply for the pleasure of it. The results were good enough to spark a shared vision: to recover the traditional wines of La Manchuela and honor the region's nearly forgotten grapes. Bodegas Gratias grew out of that spontaneous experiment.
The Region
La Manchuela lies in southeastern Spain, between the Cabriel and Júcar rivers, acting as a bridge between Valencia and Albacete. It is dominated by old, dry-farmed bush vines on calcareous clay-limestone soils, a landscape of low yields and resilient, deeply rooted plants well suited to the dry continental climate.
Vineyards & Farming
The estate works old dry-farmed bush vines under organic and biodynamic principles. A central project is the recovery of mixed plots planted with nearly forgotten varieties such as Pintaíllo, Macabeo Negro and Coloraíllo, alongside the protection of old vineyards of Bobal and Tardana. The goal is explicitly preservationist: to keep these vines and varieties from disappearing.
Winemaking
All grapes are hand-harvested and fermented with native yeasts under minimal intervention. The cellar draws on a range of vessels: stainless steel tanks, traditional clay amphorae known as tinajas, glass demijohns and old barrels, matched to each wine. Sulfite use is kept extremely low or avoided entirely, and the wines are often bottled without fining or filtration.
The Wines
The range is built on Manchuela natives, with Bobal leading the reds and the late-ripening Tardana among the whites, plus the recovered local varieties. The wines, including bottlings such as Sol and Soy Arcilla, are made to preserve and celebrate the region's vinous heritage, putting grapes that almost vanished back into the glass.
