Bodegas Melgarajo implemented an innovative approach to recover a local tradition.

The town of Melgar de Abajo in Valladolid has a long history of wine making mainly with red Prieto Picudo and white Verdejo grapes. About 150 landowners, almost everyone in town,  concentrated their land titles in a single 500-acre emblematic vineyard known as Valdeleña, historically the best location in the municipality. So far they have planted about 150 acres with a modern setup, aimed to create premium wines. Their Prieto Picudo Rose is one of the best expressions of the grape. The traditional winemaking includes the “Madreo”, creating “Vinos Madreados”, a technique combining carbonic maceration during fermentation.

Besides recovering the wine industry in the town, the enterprise has been a remarkable community building project. The whole town gets together for the harvest fest, a day of harvesting and celebrations. It’s a great educational tool for the youngsters and an example of creative sustainability.

The winery is involved in R&D projects with local universities to recover two native grapes: “Prieto Picudo Oval” and “Negra Sauri”. Experimental vinification of these varieties is underway.