About a decade ago, the Orengo-Ferreira family were looking for land when they found something most buyers overlook: old vines. Planted more than fifty years earlier and completely abandoned, the Garnacha and Macabeo vines growing in the stony hills above Calaceite in Aragon were exactly what they needed. What followed was Sifer Wines, one of Spain's most quietly radical natural-wine projects.
Backstory
The family -- led by Ephraim Orengo -- discovered the property in Calaceite in the Matarrana comarca of Teruel, a remote landscape straddling the border between Aragon and Catalonia. After replanting and restoring the vineyards over several years, the first commercial vintage was released in 2017. The winery operates from Calaceite under the formal address of Carrer del Montsiau in Castellar del Valles, with the vineyards themselves located east of Calaceite and southeast of Batea in the Terra Alta zone of Tarragona. The estate produces approximately 500 cases annually.
The Region
The Matarrana is a rugged, largely undiscovered corner of Aragon where the rivers carve through limestone plateaus covered in pine, olive, and almond trees. The vineyards around Calaceite and the adjacent Terra Alta zone sit at between 300 and 350 meters above sea level in a continental climate with minimal annual rainfall. These conditions force the vines deep into the rocky subsoil and produce fruit of concentrated flavor and natural balance. The area shares the geological character of Terra Alta -- a DO more famous for bulk production -- without the commercial pressures that have homogenized winemaking there.
Vineyards and Farming
Sifer farms four hectares across multiple parcels, planted exclusively to two varieties: Macabeo for white wines and Garnacha Negra for reds and roses. Soils are sandy and silty with a significant clay fraction. Farming is entirely organic, with no pesticides or chemical fertilizers, and the estate holds Demeter biodynamic certification alongside organic certifications from AB, Biodyvin, and Nature et Progres. Vine management follows lunar and sidereal cycles. All work in the vineyard is done by hand.
Winemaking
Sifer's philosophy is stated simply: "100% spontaneous fermentation. Just grape." No additives are used at any stage, no corrections are made, and sulfite levels in finished wines fall below 10 mg/L -- effectively zero. There is no clarification and no filtration. Each wine is made to express the honest character of its variety and vintage without enhancement or adjustment.
The Wines
The lineup includes Vibria, a white from Macabeo aged on its lees; Ephraim, a Garnacha Negra red aged in neutral vessels; Ephraim Mel, an orange wine from Garnacha Blanca; Ephraim Rose, a skin-contact rose; and Goreti, an ancestral-method sparkling Macabeo. Vibria Soul is a more structured expression of the estate's signature white variety. All wines are vegan, unfiltered, and unfined, bottled in very small quantities for an international network of specialist natural-wine retailers.
