This inspiring project was implemented by Iker García. Hontza means “owl” in the Basque language, inspired by a couple of owls that live in the pine tree forest at Labraza, the tiny village where they live and where the winery is located. These owls became a symbol of the biodynamic principles in which they believe in.
 
The artisanal winery is the first and the only one in the whole Labraza. The medieval village is located East of the Rioja Alavesa sub-region (Basque country). Located at an altitude of 650 metres above sea level is also blessed by an Atlantic microclimate benefitting from the Föhn effect and a wide range of biodiversity. Their principles are based on respect for the land as well as the enhancement of Labraza’s terroir and its natural surroundings. Therefore, his vineyards are following natural winemaking principles. The aim is to show the best expression of their terroir through their local grapes. The grapes are hand-picked and selected at the vineyard and harvested in small cases in order to preserve the grapes intact. The whole process is made in an artisanal way, applying a hands-off principle.
 
Valtide is a small cuvee which Iker makes using the Mazuelo grape (aka Cariñena) sourced from a 35 years old single vineyard. Mazuelo is commonly used in Rioja to balance Tempranillo’s low acidity. It is very rare to see a 100% Mazuelo wine in the area, even though it’s capable of giving quite unique wines in return. The soil here is very poor (clay-calcareous) producing very low yields. 7 days of carbonic maceration, pressed and aged into a 500 litre barrel where it finished the fermentation and was aged for 6 months.