ALVAR DE DIOS -TORO , SPAIN

       Alvar de Dios Born into a family of winegrowers from El Pego, DO Toro.He decided to leave his small village to hone his winemaking skills in Sierra de Gredos working as cellar master for Bodega Marañones .

        In 2008, he inherited three hectares of undrafted vineyards planted in 1919 by Aciano, his grandfather. At an elevation of 700m and found on sandy soils, Alvar farmed the vines —mostly Tempranilllo, with a few others mixed and released his first wine in 2011. Called Aciano  it is fresh and has fine tannins.

Alvar makes Tío Uco  his entry-level wine. Grapes are sourced from three different plots in northwestern Toro ranging in age from 25–40 years old. Farmed organically, they are mainly Tinta de Toro with some Garnacha and the wine is fermented with whole bunches and indigenous yeasts.

          Camino de los Arrieros was his first wine in the region and follows the same fresh, subtle style of his wines from Toro. It is a field blend of mainly Juan García, Rufete, Trincadeira Preta and Bastardo grapes which he purchases from a local grower and vinifies with full clusters and natural yeasts.