Ismael Gozalo, a fifth-generation winemaker and the creative force behind Microbio’s wine, is fond of a Mahatma Gandhi quote: “Strength is not born out, of physical capacity, it is born out of an indomitable will.” He is famous for his work with the Verdejo grape, native to his village of niece, in the province of Segovia in Castilla Y León. He and Javier Zaccagnini started Ossian in 2004, building it into one of the finest white wine producers in Spain before he left to focus on Microbio. Rueda is the land of industrial Verdejo production, but Ismael’s commitment to producing genuine and exciting wines with the traditional local grape eschews labels as Rueda (DO), or even organic or natural, and instead, he focuses simply on the land, the vines, and the wine in the bottle.

Nothing added, nothing taken away. His Verderjo comes mainly from small, highly-prized, organically-farmed, plots covering 5 hectares, at 800-900m of altitude, around Nieva. These include ungrafted vines - some over 200 years old - planted on sandy soils, that have never been subjected to chemical treatments. These ancient vines are a rarity in Rueda, which was almost entirely replanted in the early 20th century due to Phylloxera. The sandier soils were a barrier to the Louse that infected the vines and allowed the original rootstock to survive. These same sandy soils also produce small and intensely nuanced yields and produce healthy grapes without the need for adjuncts.

As with all our producers, we will be donating part of the proceeds from sales to a non-profit close to our heart. For Microbio wines, we have chosen to donate to the Alberta Council of Women’s shelters. Please check them out.

We are currently out of stock, but hope to have a fresh re-stock of these beautiful wines soon.