The Desierto de Almeria IGP covers the Tabernas and Sorbas basins, inland from Cabo de Gata Nature Park on the coast. Our vineyards lie at about 450 metres in altitude and offer a variety of different soil types.

For the moment, we have chosen to plant the vines without preparing the soil, i.e. tilling, beforehand, and without removing native plants. The intention is to prevent eroision (wind, rain) and to maintain natural biodiversity. Thus, many of our vines grow next to native plants like wild thyme, retama (a nitrogen fixer), and other native bushes that attract ladybugs (natural predator of many plant pests). We are also using a tractor-driven chipper/shredder to create mulch and compost from local plants.

In 2016, we planted 200 grape vines in deep pots. All but 2 (both Merlot) broke dormancy and survived (some thrived) to winter, 2017.

In particular, these consisted of

• 25 Merlot on 110R rootstock
• 50 Garnacha on 110R rootstock
• 50 Cabernet Sauvignon on 110R rootstock
• 50 Syrah on Ru-140 rootstock
• 25 Merlot on Ru-140 rootstock

The Merlot on Ru-140 were noticeably less vigorous than the other 25 plants on 110R, and out of this bunch, 2 never broke dormancy. The potting soil was a custom mix created by us with lots of sand added in. The potted vines were not fertilized during 2016 (which was possibly an error).

When breaking dormancy in 2017, the Syrah leaves were noticeably pale yellow in comparison with the other potted vines. The Garnacha, too, appeared a bit chlorotic, but responded well to a liquid organic fertilizer. The Merlot, both batches, looked great, despite earlier concerns. The Cabernet have performed well once planted in the ground this Spring. Our opinion is that frequent watering during the hot, dry summer of 2016 caused leaching of the soil in the pots. However, the vine roots looked really good upon final planting, with solid root balls encompassing the entirety of the pots.

In the Spring of 2017 in addition to the potted vines, we planted the following in bare root vines  large holes with wells around each vine:

• 69 Syrah on 41-B rootstock on tierra roja slopes with abundant rocks and gravel
• 225 Syrah on SO4 rootstock in sandy soil and gravel, gently sloping
• 240 Garnacha on 110R rootstock, tierra roja slopes
• 300 Monastrell, on 140R rootstock, mostly on sandy soil and gravel, gentle slopes
• 121 Cabernet Sauvigon on 110R rootstock, sandy soil and gravel--a few on tierra roja
• 90 Merlot on 110R, tierra roja slopes
• 40 Monastrell on 110R, sandy soil and sand, gentle slopes
• 25 Viognier, tierra roja and a few on sand
  
• 10 Macabeo on tierra roja slopes
• 20 Carignan (Mazuelo) on sandy soil

We are working with a very low planting density and a 2.9 metre spacing between vines in both directions (see photo above), with the intent of practicing rainfed viticulture to every extent possible once the vines mature. If we need to increase density, we will interplant between the vines in one direction, for 1.45X2.9 metres spacing. To every extent possible, we did not disturb existing vegetation, preserving natural biodiversity in the vineyard. We either hand dug the holes or used a backhoe attachment to our Kubota STW40 tractor.

So, our total plants at this point are:

• 171 Cabernet Sauvignon
• 138 Merlot
• 340 Monastrell
• 344 Syrah
• 240 Garnacha
• 25 Viognier
• 10 Macabeo
• 20 Mazuelo

In order to plant wine grape vines commerically, we requested permission from the Junta de Andalucia for the right to establish vineyards. We proposed 4 hectares in 2015, and just proposed two more. The IGP region to which the vineyard lands belong has great potential based on the following factors:

• poor, diverse, and mineral-rich soils, including sand and gravel
• excellent climate including good diurnal temperature variation (see above) and a true winter period
• winds to combat any mildew problems
• Mediterranean climate, close to the sea
• availability of water for irrigation
• a winemaking tradition dating back to Roman times, but recently neglected

We decided to focus on red wines. The IGP law allows us to produce Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which I would say are the least appropriate varieties for our climate. We can also grow Syrah (Shiraz), Monastrell (Mourvedre, Mataro), Tempranillo, and Garnacha. We elected not to plant Tempranillo and limited cuantities of Cab and Merlot.

The ultimate goal is to produce via rainfed viticulture only, however in this steppe-like climate, the young vines will absolutely require some drip irrigation. We are planning to use a goblet or "vaso" style system, which are the most basic kind of "bush vines." This ancient training technique is appropriate for the Almeria terroir.

We have 11 hectares of land that probably has not been used for any kind of agricultural production since the 1950s located not too far from Europe's only true desert. The area gets about 31-33 centimeters of rain per year, mostly in winter. We are within an Indicación Geográfica Protegida (IGP) designated area for wine grape production known as the Desierto de Almeria.

We have searched for appropriate plants to cultivate, besides grape vines, which indlude eucalyptus for wind breaks and cut flowers, protea species for cut flowers, pine nut pines for wind breaks (and pine nuts), as well as vegetable garden plantings near the Cortijo, including cardoon and artichoke. We also have about 75 olive trees, a few almond trees, pomegranate, and citrus.

Last year we made initial efforts at germinating proteas and eucalyptus from seed, as well as potting 200 bare root grape vines.

Since November, 2016, we have slowly accelerated production, bought a tractor and implements, and ordered thousands of bare-root vines for planting.

Our plan is to preserve the existing vegetative landscape as much as possible The region has high winds, and the soil is prone to erosion from wind and the occasional big rain. So, we are not tilling or using cultivators, and we are leaving native species in place--this includes abundant wild thyme as well as rosemary and species of retama.