Juan Carlos Sancha

Juan Carlos Sancha is a native of Baños de Río Tobía in Rioja Alta, home to one of the coldest and highest-altitude areas in all of DOCa Rioja.

The 5-hectare winery relies on a family heritage dating back to his great-grandfather, who planted vines on steep, poor clay-calcareous soils here.

Juan Carlos Sancha is not only a winemaker but also a professor of oenology at the University of La Rioja and an international consultant specializing in artisanal organic wines. In 2008, he abandoned large projects to focus on his own. He began farming the family vines with a clear vision: creating authentic wines reflecting the cool Alto Najerilla terroir.

Sancha is an uncompromising advocate of organic winemaking with minimal intervention (natural wines), which is quite pioneering in traditional Rioja.