{"id":166790,"date":"2025-02-03T11:17:20","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T10:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pradorey.es\/blog\/wines-made-in-clay-amphorae-a-return-to-the-origins\/"},"modified":"2025-02-28T10:35:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T09:35:26","slug":"wines-made-in-clay-amphorae-a-return-to-the-origins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pradorey.es\/en\/blog\/vinos-elaborados-en-tinajas-de-barro-vuelta-al-origen\/","title":{"rendered":"Wines made in clay amphorae? A return to the origins"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

What if we made wine the way it used to be, a wine crafted in clay amphorae? That was the question\u2014or rather, the challenge\u2014we posed at PRADOREY<\/strong><\/a> back in the summer of 2016. After an intense and fascinating internal debate, we decided to go for it. After all, every time we had done something different, it had worked out well for us.<\/p>\n

There aren\u2019t many records on how wine was made \u201cthe old way<\/em>,\u201d but a quick Google search for \u201corigin of wine\u201d offers several clues. Among them, countless references and illustrations show that clay amphorae were already being used in ancient Egypt around 3000 BC<\/strong>. Those images opened our eyes. Why not craft wine in an artisanal way, using the same ancient materials, without modern tools, and in centuries-old clay amphorae?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Finding century-old amphorae to make wine the old way<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We had to act fast before harvest. We needed to find ancient amphorae (if they still existed!<\/strong>) and restore them in time for winemaking. We were advised to search in the province of Toledo<\/strong>, and there we found villages that were like living museums, filled with buried clay vessels (bernegales) in abandoned underground cellars, waiting fo<\/p>\n

r someone to bring them back to life.<\/p>\n

Excavating them was no easy feat, but in record time, we had our first four amphorae ready for the 2016 vintage.<\/p>\n

That first harvest in clay was a whirlwind of emotions. Notonly did we stomp the grapes by foot, as was done in the past, but we also checked on the amphorae every four hours, stirring and tasting to ensure everything was progressing naturally. We added no artificial yeasts or chemicals and had no way to control the temperature. We were making wine just as our ancestors did.<\/p>\n

There were many obstacles, but we overcame them with an artisan\u2019s mindset. Soon, we were surprised by the expressiveness of the wines aging in the clay, and how different they were compared to sister grapes aged in stainless steel or barrels.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis wine has soul,\u201d said one of the first outsiders who dared to taste it. \u201cIt tastes like the village wine my grandfather used to give me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The amphorae revealed a pure wine<\/strong>, untouched by external influences, reflecting exactly what the vineyard had offered that year. From one of those amphorae, El Buen Alfarero<\/a> was born<\/strong>, while the wines from the other three were used to continue learning from this fascinating process.<\/p>\n

No artificial yeasts, no chemicals\u2014this “soulful” wine was achieved another way<\/h2>\n

As we like to say, that first vintage aged in clay gave us one certainty (El Buen Alfarero, nominated as a Revelation Wine by the Pe\u00f1\u00edn Guide) and countless questions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n