Vinyer de la Ruca

Rousillon

Manuel Di Vecchi Staraz is originally from Tuscany but has settled in Banyuls-sur-Mer near the Mediterranean, where he has created the probably most uncompromising wine-making project that we have ever seen: Vinyer de la Ruca. It is not just a sustainable wine production, but also a practical realization of an overall vision of what natural wine – and the lifestyle that follows – should be:

Ancient, free-standing Grenache Noir vines with extremely low yields, free-grazing sheep in the vineyards, moon phases, no machines, only hand power and mules, playing the violin for the grapes, destemming by hand, grape-stomping ballerinas, spontaneous fermentation and of course no fining, filtration or added sulphur. And now that we are at it, why not get a Catalan glassblower to mouth blow most of the bottles.

You could almost be led to believe that the whole thing was a little too much, if it were not for the fact that the wine is so convincingly well-made and enjoyable to drink. Vinyer de la Ruca produces about 2,000 bottles a year that are far from cheap. But with the numerous obstacles that Manuel has set up for himself while refusing to compromise it all makes sense in the end.

Products from Vinyer de la Ruca