THE PROPERTY
Situated at the southwest of Fontanars dels Alforins, Cals Pins/ Casa los Pinos is a heritage with more than 200 years of history. On some of the plots on the Estate, vines were planted yet in the beginning of the 17th Century. The founder, Vicente Puig i Cubelles (1761-1819) was a member of the aristocracy of Villa de Ontinyent. The Puig family were the owners of this property till the beginning of the 20th Century.
Cals Pins grows up in the transformation of the Agriculture in Valencia in the 18th Century. In this period of time the agricultural cultivation grows quickly. Therefore we have some certifications that prove that in 1793 most of the till then not cultivated soils, were planted with vines. The Manor House is the result off the efforts of Vicente Puig, creating an estate specialised on the viticulture production and it dates from the last decade of the 18th Century. At this time Cals Pins yet counts with about 60.000 vines. From 1839 on the economy in Valencia was reactivated and growing very quickly. In Els Alforins this was specially noted by the new expansion of cultivation and also in Cals Pins in 1859 we could count yet 88.000 vines and 90.000 in 1862.
In 1870 because of the filoxera on the French vineyards, the Wine production in South Europe gets an impulse. This situation inspired the owner of Cals Pins and other Wine producers in Valencia to sell their wines to new markets that the French producers could not supply, and obviously they had success. Finally in 1906 Filoxera also arrived to “La Vall d’Albaida and had some devastating effects. But Rafael Puig went on with the elaboration of Wine. In 1909 he won a silver medal at a regional Trade Exhibition in Valencia and in 1910 actually a Bronze Medal at the Trade Exhibition “Universelle de Bruxelles” in Belgium. So he already takes part at this time on international exhibitions.
The mechanization of the agriculture in 1960 and the entry to the European Union in 1986 brought new rules and standards of quality into the traditional winegrowing. Most of the winegrowing farms had to choose between renovation and disappearing. At Cals Pins they decided to build up the new winery separated from the Manor house. In 1990 the company Pinos A.G. acquires the property and implant a new management and cultivation system. The planting mode is reconverted and the production of ecological grapes is started ES-ECO-020-CV and UE Agriculture. So the first ecological Winery in the Region Valencia was build up. Years after that, the Commission for ecological farming is registered. In 2007 the Ferri Family acquires the property . They renovate the old cellar, use new technologies and maintain the ecological standards elaborating singular wines, without added sulphites at this historic location and soils with a viticulture tradition of over 380 years.
THE VINEYARD
Bodegas los Pinos is situated in between 60 ha of vineyard on a sandy loam soil with a noble amplitude of varieties which are adjusted to the ecological purpose. The combination of the production, the health and quality of the varieties inside the context of Ecological Agriculture ES-ECO-020-CV and European Agriculture UE is a slow process. We respect the environment and measure up the Agri-environment on each plot, depending on the type of varieties, the density of planting, the way of growing, the contours, the illumination, the rainwater filtration and maintenance of the soil and vineyard. Taking care of all these parts contributes to better fruit productivity of each plant in the best conditions.
This premises lead us through a reasonable and sustained proposal, matching up varieties and age, looking for the balance between youth and viticulture expression. Our vines are espalier trained on a single cordon all on Dryland. The vineyards are between one to over 20 years old. Native grape like Monastrell, sharing terrain with foreign grapes that are adapted to the local conditions perfectly like Tempranillo and Garnacha and international grapes like Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. On white wine we mainly search for a combination between freshness and fruit flavours, so we find here the native grape Verdil with Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Muscat petit grain.
With ecological agriculture ES-ECO-020-CV and UE Agriculture we bet for high quality wines trough farming techniques, which do not disturb the environment and let us take advantage of the natural resources of this area. In 1990 the winery has gone one step further and become the first winery in Valencia for ecological wines and the second in whole Spain, cultivating and elaborating without any chemicals and synthesis (herbicides, pesticides…). Instead, we are using organic fertilizer to maintain the balance of the soils. The wine is really elaborated on the vineyard and rounded up in the winery. All wines elaborated in the winery are certified by the REGULATORY BOARD FOR WINES FROM THE DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN OF VALENCIA (Consejo Regulador de vinos de la Denominacion de Origen de Valencia) and the COMISSION OF ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE, which certifies that we fulfil with the European standards for ecological farming.
Are you interested in distributing our wines? Contact us by sending an email to bodegaslospinos@bodegaslospinos.com or filling in the contact form by clicking here.
AWARDS
