Germán R. Blanco

Lively Wines is a project that began in 2013, led by Germán R. Blanco. Its four brands - La Bicicleta Voladora (D.O.Ca. Rioja), Quinta Milú (Ribera del Duero), Casa Aurora (Bierzo), and San Esteban (Bierzo) - share the same work philosophy: it is impossible to be more artisanal and respectful of the land from which they originate. They produce artisanal wines with minimal intervention to respect their place of origin. In fact, they describe their wines as “fermented grape juice with minimal doses of sulfur.” Furthermore, their wines are always village wines: “each village, with its history, landscapes, and soils, as a unique setting that deserves to be valued.”

They are made with grapes cultivated in a traditional, organic, and sustainable manner, and each plot is vinified separately. Additionally, all their wines undergo aging, but not necessarily in wood: they use different materials such as concrete or terracotta; and when they use oak, they choose large, used barrels to avoid influencing the character of the wine. The goal is for the aging process to enhance the work done in the vineyard. In line with their minimal intervention policy, they avoid final processes such as fining, stabilization, and filtration. For Germán R. Blanco, the aim is not to make perfect wines, but rather “wines with soul.”