Meet the winemaker: Dominio del Urogallo

Dominio del Urogallo is a small winery in Asturias, on Spain's northern coast. It's run by Francisco Asencio, who cultivates the vineyards on steep slopes, using biodynamic viticulture. Francisco also makes wine in Bierzo and the Sherry Triangle.

We had the chance to speak with Francisco about his work. We hope you enjoy reading our conversation.

Can you tell me about your background - how you came to be a winemaker, and what influenced your style of farming and producing?

Up to 2006 or 2007, I was working as a general manager in international renewable energy. I was really into renewable energy, but I was getting tired of being a manager with the level of stress that came with it and I wanted to connect with nature in a deeper way. I had some savings and decided to quit that job so that I could think about doing something different. I thought about making cheese  in Galicia with some friends, and I had always hoped for the opportunity to try and make even a little quantity of wine. 

In 2008, I made wine for the first time - in a bucket! I bought 50kg of grapes and pressed them with my hands. After a few days, I had wine. Not the greatest wine, but I had wine. I was really curious about the winemaking process. I had friends making wine in Bierzo and I sat firmly on the drinking side of the business, but they were good friends who pushed me to start something. They shared their ideas with me, about being connected with nature and making wine with the utmost respect for the vines and for nature.

And you make wine not just in Asturias, but in Bierzo and the Sherry Triangle - which came first?

The first real project was in Asturias. As a drinker, I enjoyed freshness and complexity through minerality, and through structure and texture. Structure that comes from the work in the vineyard, and texture that comes from the ageing process. During a trip to France, I stopped in Asturias and discovered this wonderful place with marvellous vineyards and an opportunity to start something little. That was in 2009, which was the beginning of it all. 

And from there, I'm from the south of Spain, so it was always on my mind to do something closer to home in the Sherry Triangle. I started there in 2015 with my brother, Fernando. And in Bierzo, I have friends who are always inviting me to work with them, so I've been doing that since 2018. 

What would you say defines Asturias and the wines you make there? 

When I think of Asturias in terms of wine, I think of something very fresh and very mineral, because of the climate, the greenery of Asturias and the mountains. We have a very long tradition, with records from the 9th century of monasteries with vineyards and making wine - always with local varieties. These include Albarin, Carrasquin and Verdejo Negro. We used to have a lot of hectares in the area, but in the 1950s, a lot of people abandoned agriculture and their vineyards in favor of mining, which was more lucrative. Now, there are 130-140 hectares across the region, with both pre-phylloxera vines and some new vines of local varieties.

Can you describe the vineyard and its surroundings? 

In Asturias, we're always in the slopes of the mountain. The altitude here ranges from 450-900m above sea level, but always in the mountains and with no flat surfaces. It's green all year long because of the climate and the landscape - mountains and forest with cattle and vineyards. But because of the slopes, the vineyards are all in little plots - we have 13 hectares of vines across 25 plots.   It's very green - nature invades everything! We also have a lot of minerals, quartz and slate in the mountains. Higher up, you get the mother rock with big chunks of slate, and lower down, the slate becomes more degraded.

Can you describe the climate?

In Asturias in general, we have a quite cool and fresh climate, but where we are in the area of Cangas, we have a microclimate that's mainly continental with long cold winters and short warm summers, getting up to 30 degrees centigrade. As we are close to the Atlantic ocean, we have a strong influence from its cool winds.

Is there much of a natural wine scene where you are?

No way. We are the only ones here, as nobody believes in it. The winemakers here tell me I'm crazy and won't get anywhere doing it this way. Of course I respect the older winemakers, but when they see my vineyard with all the green and herbs, they say my vineyard is sick - but it couldn't be healthier! I think it's just a matter of time. They'll get there eventually I'm sure. Sometimes it comes down to fear - the risk is high and tradition means a lot here. 

Visit Dominio del Urogallo's RAW WINE profile to learn more.