Menade

Bodegas Menade is a pioneering organic estate in Rueda, founded in 2005 by the Sanz siblings (sixth generation of one of the region’s historic winemaking families). Although the modern project is relatively recent, the family’s viticultural roots in Castilla y León date back to the 19th century, and they are widely recognised as early champions of Verdejo and the Rueda DO. From the outset, Menade positioned itself around organic farming, biodiversity and low-intervention winemaking, becoming one of the first fully certified organic estates in the region. The philosophy is built on working with native yeasts, minimal sulphur, and vineyard health driven by natural treatments and ecological balance rather than chemical intervention. All vineyards are estate-owned and farmed organically, spread across clay-limestone soils with stone-rich plots typical of Rueda. The style across the range is defined by purity, lees texture, and a “wild but precise” expression of Verdejo and other varieties from Castilla y León.

Menade is deeply committed to biodiversity, launching projects such as an Insect Hotel (boosting insect life by 30%), Mobile Trees (studying plant impact on vineyards), and an adjoining farm to promote ecosystem balance. Their wines are certified organic, free from copper chemical treatments, allergens, and histamines. They encourage insects as natural pest control. Winemaking is consistent across the estate: Native yeast fermentations, temperature-controlled stainless steel vinification, plot-by-plot vinification, lees ageing for texture and stability, minimal oak influence (only in specific cuvées).