Los Marcos - Requena Utiel
Sete Castro is a singular winemaker, yet he fits perfectly into the Vi Natural landscape: most of those who have joined the project have also taken unexpected paths before arriving at wine. His adventure, called Tren de Vida, unfolds in Requena, near his mentor Mariano Taberner, from whom he learned everything. For now, he produces only white wines. His story, however, begins far from the vineyards, on a beach in Alcossebre, in the province of Castellón. In 2016, Sete ran an ecological restaurant there: local cuisine, solar energy, regional crafts, and no industrial drinks. One day, Mariano from Bodega Cueva stopped by and introduced him to natural wine. The encounter was a revelation: until then, Sete drank only beer and knew nothing about wine. From that day on, he never looked back.
A few years later, after a separation, he moved to Denmark, where he stayed for nine years. There, he immersed himself in the world of natural wine: tastings, meetings with winemakers from Spain and abroad, and a growing passion for their work and philosophy. In 2020, he made wine for the first time, not in Spain, but with 1,500 kg of Danish grapes. The following year, he returned to Requena and produced his first Spanish wines in Mariano’s cellar, before striking out on his own. In 2022, thanks to the help of Mariano and Rafa from Sexto Elemento, he moved into a new winery. Production grew quickly: 11,000 bottles in 2022, 17,000 in 2023, and more than 25,000 expected in 2024. Sete now plans to build his own bodega to control every step of the process, from vine to bottle.
He buys his grapes from friends who have supported him since the beginning, all of them working organically. Sete harvests late, always seeking perfect ripeness. He loves fruity, easy-drinking, joyful wines, but still holds deep respect for the complex wines he discovered in Northern Europe. Among the winemakers who inspire him: Verónica Romero, Oriol Artigas, Joan Ramon Escoda, Clos Lentiscus, Domaine des Maisons Brûlées, Olivier Cousin, Domaine Breton, La Sorga by Antony Tortul, and Andi Mann.
Un Mar de Dudas
Dry white wine Macabeu
and Muscat of Alexandrie
Alcohol content: 13,5% Vol.
From his wines, we chose Una mar de Dudas, a sea of doubts, a blend of 80% Macabeu and 20% Muscat of Alexandria, a combination that works very well. We are already familiar with Roger Diaz's Xalera. The vineyards are located between Valencia and Requena: Macabeu in Siete Aguas at 700 m altitude, and Muscat of Alexandria in Chiva at 300 m.
The harvest: hand made in box of 20/25kg.
The winemaking: the grapes are fermented together, with no skin contact. Spontaneous fermentation, no additions or corrections, no added sulphur. Bottled in April 2024. Production of 1,250 bottles.
The wine maker's notes: label designed by Sete himself.
Recommended consumption temperature: between 10 and 14°C
Consume from now.