Viña Ilusión
Summary
In 1992, Martin Alonso and his partner Gloria Plaza Medina founded Viña Ilusión in the Rioja Baja subzone, where they farm 20 small plots across 12 acres consisting of loamy soil with sand, silt, and permeable clay at 600-700m asl. Since its inception in 1992, the farming practices at Viña Ilusión have blended the philosophies of the Japanese farmer Masanobu Fukuoka, whose permaculture methods encourage the farmer to be a guide as opposed to an overactive participant in the field; encouraging the preservation of topsoil and humus via permanent native ground cover, and Jean Maria Roger and Rudolf Steiner’s biodynamic theories.
Sheep are used to fertilize the vineyard and the winery is powered by solar energy. The vineyards have been certified organic since 2003. No wood aging is used in order to preserve the great freshness of the wines.
