Miguel Castro

Miguel Castro makes wine in Montilla, in the hills of Córdoba, Andalucía, a region he describes simply as especial. He grew up with wine in the family: his mother also has her own project, working in a more traditional style on the albariza soils of the mountains. But Miguel's own path into winemaking came through study. In 2013 he went to Jerez, and his studies changed how he thought about soil and viticulture entirely. At the end, he chose not to replicate the Sherry model, but to appreciate and embrace terroir and lean into it. He made his first vintage in 2017 in the family cellar, and by 2020 had his own cellar space.

His 1.5 hectares are split across two parcels: Benavente and Río Frío. The vines are old, ranging from 60 to 80 years with roots running 6 to 8 metres deep depending on the soil. Planted so close together that a tractor can't pass between the rows, field work is done with the help of a burro. A reminder that some of the best viticulture is still stubbornly, beautifully manual.

Above, a vine shaped by a pruning process Ojo & Coíllo - a traditional method in the area. It is a form of spur pruning where each spur is carefully crafted to leave two distinct buds with specific future roles

 

The dominant variety is Pedro Ximénez, which thrives in this fierce climate. Harvest happens in mid-August, typically around the 15th to 20th, starting at 3 or 4 in the morning because temperatures reach 45°C by day. In the cellar, Miguel's approach is unfussy and non-interventionist: harvest, sort, press, ferment, all in barrel. Then bottle, with no racking and no batonnage. SO₂ additions are minimal, maxing out at around 17g/L added.  The wines are whole-parcel expressions, a dedication to the stony, mineral hillsides of Montilla.