Since 2021, we have supported the recovery of old and unique vineyards at risk of disappearing. Every century-old vine we save is a story that continues to live on: the story of those who work the land with respect, of the landscapes that endure, and of the wines that preserve their memory.
Through Ángel de Viñas, we work to safeguard biodiversity, native grape varieties and the cultural value of these unique places, collaborating with winegrowers, researchers and local communities. The project was born from a clear conviction: sustainability begins at the roots — in the care of soils, people and the history that connects them.
Our commitment is to promote a conscious form of viticulture that combines tradition and innovation; one that honours the past, protects the future, and reminds us that caring for the land also means caring for our own story.
Ángel de Viñas is an initiative by González Byass, created in 2021 together with the González Byass Foundation and supported by the guidance of the Spanish Federation of Oenology. Its mission is to recover and preserve old and unique vineyards at risk of disappearing in different regions of Spain. Some of these vineyards, over a century old, represent an irreplaceable natural and cultural heritage: guardians of the landscape, of native grape varieties and of the winemaking memory of the country.
Project objectives
- Recover and preserve historic vineyards
- Prevent the loss of biodiversity
- Protect traditional grape varieties and associated ecosystems
- Ensure the continuity of local cultivation
- Promote awareness and knowledge-sharing
Ángel de Viñas is an initiative by González Byass, created in 2021 together with the González Byass Foundation and supported by the guidance of the Spanish Federation of Oenology. Its mission is to recover and preserve old and unique vineyards at risk of disappearing in different regions of Spain. Some of these vineyards, over a century old, represent an irreplaceable natural and cultural heritage: guardians of the landscape, of native grape varieties and of the winemaking memory of the country.
Project objectives
- Recover and preserve historic vineyards
- Prevent the loss of biodiversity
- Protect traditional grape varieties and associated ecosystems
- Ensure the continuity of local cultivation
- Promote awareness and knowledge-sharing
Spain is home to one of the world’s greatest wine heritages, with century-old vineyards and native grape varieties that reflect centuries of history, culture and climatic diversity. However, many of them are now at risk of disappearing due to rural abandonment, climate change and the lack of generational succession.
Ángel de Viñas was born as a response to this challenge: to preserve viticultural biodiversity, keep traditional farming practices alive, and strengthen the bond between people and the land. Each rescued vineyard is a time capsule — a lesson in natural sustainability, shaped by patience and respect for the environment.
To preserve is to keep alive the very essence of wine, and the legacy of those who make it possible.
Spain is home to one of the world’s greatest wine heritages, with century-old vineyards and native grape varieties that reflect centuries of history, culture and climatic diversity. However, many of them are now at risk of disappearing due to rural abandonment, climate change and the lack of generational succession.
Ángel de Viñas was born as a response to this challenge: to preserve viticultural biodiversity, keep traditional farming practices alive, and strengthen the bond between people and the land. Each rescued vineyard is a time capsule — a lesson in natural sustainability, shaped by patience and respect for the environment.
To preserve is to keep alive the very essence of wine, and the legacy of those who make it possible.
This support is defined according to the specific needs of each vineyard. It may involve technical assistance, direct collaboration in maintenance and recovery work, support with commercial strategy, or other tailored actions that are always agreed jointly between the winegrower and the González Byass project team.
This support is defined according to the specific needs of each vineyard. It may involve technical assistance, direct collaboration in maintenance and recovery work, support with commercial strategy, or other tailored actions that are always agreed jointly between the winegrower and the González Byass project team.
Each point on the map represents an old vineyard that the Ángel de Viñas project has helped to preserve.
From north to south, from the peninsula to the islands, we support the recovery of singular vineyards, native grape varieties and agricultural traditions that form part of the soul of Spanish wine. Behind each one lie people, landscapes and knowledge that refuse to be forgotten.
This map is also a testimony to our commitment: caring for the land, protecting its history and securing its future.
Year of incorporation: 2022
Age of the vines: Historic Verdejo vineyard planted in traditional bush vines (old vines)
Varieties: Verdejo
Surface area: 12 hectares
Location: Madrigal de las Altas Torres (Ávila), Castilla y León
Description:
In the historic municipality of Madrigal de las Altas Torres lies one of the most distinctive old vineyards in the Rueda D.O., a viticultural heritage rooted for centuries in the Verdejo variety. With more than 12 hectares planted in traditional bush vines, this vineyard has withstood the passage of time thanks to generations who have kept its cultivation alive in the heart of the Castilian plateau. Its recovery through Ángel de Viñas ensures the protection of a unique winegrowing landscape, where the extreme continental climate and the deep memory of the territory are reflected in wines of sobriety, longevity and aromatic depth. This vineyard marks the beginning of the project, with the vocation of preserving the very origin of Rueda’s most authentic identity.
Year of incorporation: 2022
Age of the vines: 40 years (Xarel·lo) and 50 years (Macabeo)
Varieties: Xarel·lo and Macabeo
Surface area: 1.6 ha in total (1.2 ha of Xarel·lo + 0.4 ha of Macabeo)
Description: In the heart of Espiells, one of the most emblematic winegrowing areas of the Penedès, two unique Xarel·lo and Macabeo vineyards embody the deep-rooted connection of a family that has worked this land for generations. With vines up to 50 years old and historic soils surrounding Sant Sadurní, this vineyard preserves the Mediterranean essence that defines the finest base wines for Cava. Its incorporation into Ángel de Viñas ensures the continuity of a family-led viticulture that has upheld traditional bush-trained vines and a profound respect for the landscape. Espiells thus becomes the first Catalan witness of the project: a legacy of memory, craft and territory to build the future of old vines.
Year of incorporation: 2023
Age of the vines: ~85 years (original plantation from 1935)
Varieties: Doña Branca (main) and Mouratón (minor)
Surface area: 0.6 ha
Description: In the small village of As Chas, in the southernmost part of the Monterrei D.O., survives a small viticultural gem planted in 1935 and today cultivated by the fourth generation of the same family. Its 0.6 hectares of old vines, dominated by Doña Branca and a small percentage of Mouratón, represent a heritage at risk due to the progressive abandonment of traditional viticulture in the area. Its incorporation into Ángel de Viñas in 2023 ensures the continuity of this legacy, preserving the Atlantic identity of the valley and the knowledge passed down by those who tended these vines almost a century ago. A vineyard modest in size, yet immense in memory and cultural value for Monterrei.
Year of incorporation: 2023
Age of the vines: Planted from 1936 (≈ 85–90 years)
Varieties: Juan García (main) and Tinto Jeromo (minor)
Surface area: 1.9 ha
Soil: Schist and quartz soils
Description: In the Arribes del Duero Natural Park, where terraces of schist and quartz shape one of the oldest landscapes on the peninsula, stands a historic vineyard planted in 1936 and still tended today by the fourth generation of the same family. Its 1.9 hectares, dominated by the Juan García variety and accompanied by the minority Tinto Jeromo, express the mineral character and uniqueness of this borderland D.O. The incorporation of the vineyard into Ángel de Viñas in 2023 ensures the continuity of a viticultural heritage threatened by abandonment. An extreme landscape, a viticulture of resilience, and a family legacy that is now protected so that Arribes may continue to have a voice in the future.
Year of incorporation: 2023
Age of the vines: ~101 years (vineyard planted at the beginning of the 20th century)
Varieties: Jaén Blanco, Jaén Negro and Vijiriego (with other traditional minority varieties)
Altitude: ~1,400 m
Soil: Slate/schist on steep slopes
Description: On the steep slopes of Cástaras, at 1,400 metres above sea level, lies one of the most extreme vineyards in the Alpujarra of Granada. This century-old vineyard, dominated by Jaén Blanco, Jaén Negro and Vijiriego, preserves a mosaic of old bush-trained vines rooted in slate soils that cannot be worked by machinery. The harshness of the terrain and the progressive abandonment of traditional viticulture had put this unique heritage at risk — now recovered thanks to its incorporation into Ángel de Viñas in 2023. The project ensures the continuity of a heroic, mountain-driven viticulture, deeply connected to the landscape, safeguarding the techniques, varieties and agricultural memory of the Alpujarra.
Year of incorporation: 2023
Age of the vines: Historic vineyard planted at the beginning of the 20th century
Varieties: Malvasía and Listán Blanco
Altitude: 860 m
Soil: Volcanic (ash and lapilli from the San Antonio Volcano)
Description: On the slopes of the San Antonio Volcano, where volcanic ash shapes the landscape and life unfolds between wind and lava, grows a historic vineyard planted at the beginning of the 20th century. Its Malvasía and Listán Blanco vines take root in ash and lapilli soils that act as a natural sponge, retaining moisture and giving the wines a unique identity. The incorporation of this vineyard into Ángel de Viñas in 2023 ensures the protection of a fragile viticultural heritage, exposed to erosion, climate pressure and the risk of abandonment. Today, this extreme landscape remains alive thanks to the hands of the winegrower in La Palma and the will to preserve a legacy that can only exist here, beside the volcano.
Year of incorporation: 2025
Age of the vines: Old vineyard (historic parcels over 80 years old)
Varieties: Albarín Blanco, Verdejo Negro and Carrasquín
Description: In the steep valleys of Cangas del Narcea, where viticulture has clung to the mountainsides for centuries, lies this old vineyard, part of the small yet heroic winegrowing heritage of Asturias. Its sharp slopes, Atlantic climate and manual labour have shaped a singular viticultural identity, defined by local varieties and traditional cultivation methods. With its incorporation into Ángel de Viñas in 2025, this agricultural landscape at risk finds continuity and protection, preserving the memory of Asturian vineyards and the effort of the families who have kept them alive in the face of rural abandonment.
Year of incorporation: 2025
Age of the vines: Vineyards planted between 1968 and 1984
Varieties: Merseguera (main) and Bobal (minor)
Altitude: ~923 m
Description: In the Alto Turia mountains, at more than 900 metres above sea level, some of the most distinctive high-altitude vineyards in the Mediterranean have been preserved. Dominated by the Merseguera variety — the symbolic white grape of the area — and accompanied by old Bobal vines, these parcels planted between the 1960s and 1980s represent a heritage that once stood on the verge of abandonment. Their incorporation into Ángel de Viñas in 2025 ensures the recovery of this extreme landscape, where altitude, a continental climate and low-intervention viticulture allow wines to be crafted with freshness, identity and memory. An isolated territory, an almost forgotten variety, and a future now taking root once again.
Year of incorporation: 2022
Age of the vines: Historic Verdejo vineyard planted in traditional bush vines (old vines)
Varieties: Verdejo
Surface area: 12 hectares
Location: Madrigal de las Altas Torres (Ávila), Castilla y León
Description:
In the historic municipality of Madrigal de las Altas Torres lies one of the most distinctive old vineyards in the Rueda D.O., a viticultural heritage rooted for centuries in the Verdejo variety. With more than 12 hectares planted in traditional bush vines, this vineyard has withstood the passage of time thanks to generations who have kept its cultivation alive in the heart of the Castilian plateau. Its recovery through Ángel de Viñas ensures the protection of a unique winegrowing landscape, where the extreme continental climate and the deep memory of the territory are reflected in wines of sobriety, longevity and aromatic depth. This vineyard marks the beginning of the project, with the vocation of preserving the very origin of Rueda’s most authentic identity.
Year of incorporation: 2022
Age of the vines: 40 years (Xarel·lo) and 50 years (Macabeo)
Varieties: Xarel·lo and Macabeo
Surface area: 1.6 ha in total (1.2 ha of Xarel·lo + 0.4 ha of Macabeo)
Description: In the heart of Espiells, one of the most emblematic winegrowing areas of the Penedès, two unique Xarel·lo and Macabeo vineyards embody the deep-rooted connection of a family that has worked this land for generations. With vines up to 50 years old and historic soils surrounding Sant Sadurní, this vineyard preserves the Mediterranean essence that defines the finest base wines for Cava. Its incorporation into Ángel de Viñas ensures the continuity of a family-led viticulture that has upheld traditional bush-trained vines and a profound respect for the landscape. Espiells thus becomes the first Catalan witness of the project: a legacy of memory, craft and territory to build the future of old vines.
Year of incorporation: 2023
Age of the vines: ~85 years (original plantation from 1935)
Varieties: Doña Branca (main) and Mouratón (minor)
Surface area: 0.6 ha
Description: In the small village of As Chas, in the southernmost part of the Monterrei D.O., survives a small viticultural gem planted in 1935 and today cultivated by the fourth generation of the same family. Its 0.6 hectares of old vines, dominated by Doña Branca and a small percentage of Mouratón, represent a heritage at risk due to the progressive abandonment of traditional viticulture in the area. Its incorporation into Ángel de Viñas in 2023 ensures the continuity of this legacy, preserving the Atlantic identity of the valley and the knowledge passed down by those who tended these vines almost a century ago. A vineyard modest in size, yet immense in memory and cultural value for Monterrei.
Year of incorporation: 2023
Age of the vines: Planted from 1936 (≈ 85–90 years)
Varieties: Juan García (main) and Tinto Jeromo (minor)
Surface area: 1.9 ha
Soil: Schist and quartz soils
Description: In the Arribes del Duero Natural Park, where terraces of schist and quartz shape one of the oldest landscapes on the peninsula, stands a historic vineyard planted in 1936 and still tended today by the fourth generation of the same family. Its 1.9 hectares, dominated by the Juan García variety and accompanied by the minority Tinto Jeromo, express the mineral character and uniqueness of this borderland D.O. The incorporation of the vineyard into Ángel de Viñas in 2023 ensures the continuity of a viticultural heritage threatened by abandonment. An extreme landscape, a viticulture of resilience, and a family legacy that is now protected so that Arribes may continue to have a voice in the future.
Year of incorporation: 2023
Age of the vines: ~101 years (vineyard planted at the beginning of the 20th century)
Varieties: Jaén Blanco, Jaén Negro and Vijiriego (with other traditional minority varieties)
Altitude: ~1,400 m
Soil: Slate/schist on steep slopes
Description: On the steep slopes of Cástaras, at 1,400 metres above sea level, lies one of the most extreme vineyards in the Alpujarra of Granada. This century-old vineyard, dominated by Jaén Blanco, Jaén Negro and Vijiriego, preserves a mosaic of old bush-trained vines rooted in slate soils that cannot be worked by machinery. The harshness of the terrain and the progressive abandonment of traditional viticulture had put this unique heritage at risk — now recovered thanks to its incorporation into Ángel de Viñas in 2023. The project ensures the continuity of a heroic, mountain-driven viticulture, deeply connected to the landscape, safeguarding the techniques, varieties and agricultural memory of the Alpujarra.
Year of incorporation: 2023
Age of the vines: Historic vineyard planted at the beginning of the 20th century
Varieties: Malvasía and Listán Blanco
Altitude: 860 m
Soil: Volcanic (ash and lapilli from the San Antonio Volcano)
Description: On the slopes of the San Antonio Volcano, where volcanic ash shapes the landscape and life unfolds between wind and lava, grows a historic vineyard planted at the beginning of the 20th century. Its Malvasía and Listán Blanco vines take root in ash and lapilli soils that act as a natural sponge, retaining moisture and giving the wines a unique identity. The incorporation of this vineyard into Ángel de Viñas in 2023 ensures the protection of a fragile viticultural heritage, exposed to erosion, climate pressure and the risk of abandonment. Today, this extreme landscape remains alive thanks to the hands of the winegrower in La Palma and the will to preserve a legacy that can only exist here, beside the volcano.
Year of incorporation: 2025
Age of the vines: Old vineyard (historic parcels over 80 years old)
Varieties: Albarín Blanco, Verdejo Negro and Carrasquín
Description: In the steep valleys of Cangas del Narcea, where viticulture has clung to the mountainsides for centuries, lies this old vineyard, part of the small yet heroic winegrowing heritage of Asturias. Its sharp slopes, Atlantic climate and manual labour have shaped a singular viticultural identity, defined by local varieties and traditional cultivation methods. With its incorporation into Ángel de Viñas in 2025, this agricultural landscape at risk finds continuity and protection, preserving the memory of Asturian vineyards and the effort of the families who have kept them alive in the face of rural abandonment.
Year of incorporation: 2025
Age of the vines: Vineyards planted between 1968 and 1984
Varieties: Merseguera (main) and Bobal (minor)
Altitude: ~923 m
Description: In the Alto Turia mountains, at more than 900 metres above sea level, some of the most distinctive high-altitude vineyards in the Mediterranean have been preserved. Dominated by the Merseguera variety — the symbolic white grape of the area — and accompanied by old Bobal vines, these parcels planted between the 1960s and 1980s represent a heritage that once stood on the verge of abandonment. Their incorporation into Ángel de Viñas in 2025 ensures the recovery of this extreme landscape, where altitude, a continental climate and low-intervention viticulture allow wines to be crafted with freshness, identity and memory. An isolated territory, an almost forgotten variety, and a future now taking root once again.
Every step counts when it comes to protecting the land and its memory. Through Ángel de Viñas, we transform our commitment to sustainability into concrete action: rescuing old vineyards, preserving native grape varieties and supporting the people who care for them. These achievements reflect our ongoing effort to keep Spain’s viticultural heritage alive and ensure its future.
Every old vineyard holds a story that deserves to be told. If you know of one at risk of disappearing, or you tend a century-old vineyard that needs support, we’d love to hear from you.
Write to us at angeldevinas@gonzalezbyass.es