Finca Descalzos Viejos

Ronda is an ancient Andalusian town which holds an irresistible appeal for us.

However, before reaching our destination, to reconnect with our inner selves and fully engage with the spirit of the place, we decide to make a stop-over at a location that is quite literally out of this world: the Gorafe desert, a place whose forms are reminiscent of Cappadocia and whose colours resemble those of the Grand Canyon.

Here we spend two days, in the nothingness of a dramatically barren landscape, welcomed and cocooned in the Casa del Desierto, a dwelling that has something other-worldly about it.

Designed by OFIS arhitekti, the walls are made solely of glass in order to demonstrate its thermal and structural properties.  
Perched atop a promontory overlooking the valley below, there is not a neighbour for miles around. It is a place of pure serenity, enclosed and protected by an evanescent transparency: an ideal place to disconnect from a world dominated by technology and where nature still prevails over the artificial.

Indeed, it is no coincidence that the British series Black Mirror, broadcast by Netflix, chose the Casa del Desierto for several episodes of the fifth season.

Offering its guests a truly unique experience, it is a place to find yourself and wake to the delicate blue and pink hues of the Andalusian sunrise. The only thing missing is a glass of Rufina, but for that we will have to wait. 

Two days later, we set off once again and, as we head west, we are accompanied by an immense sense of calm for the entire 260 km separating us from Ronda and Finca Descalzos Viejos.

This city had already won us over with its Arab roots, its Roman past and its legendary soul, full of the exploits of bandits and legends of Danish romantics who fell at its feet. Just as we are to fall today: in love with its soul and its wines, its gastronomy, its hidden corners and the contagious vitality of every person we meet.
Following our first visit, on this second one we are even more enchanted.

The local inhabitants well recall that the winemaking tradition arrived here two thousand years ago with the Phoenicians and that, when Ronda was not yet Ronda but the Roman Acinipo, extensive vineyards encircled their lands.
Indeed, so firmly rooted were these oenological roots in their genes, that not even the arrival of the phylloxera grape aphid in the 20th century was able to bring down centuries of history and hard work. A tradition that today is more alive than ever, with no less than 26 wineries in the area.

One of these is Finca Descalzos Viejos, which awaits us on the edge of the limestone spur that is part of El Tajo, the infamous Ronda gorge. 

Even before we have crossed the threshold of the winery, we are warmly welcomed by Flavio Salesi's open arms, in true 'Italian-Argentine-Spanish' style.

In fact, Flavio was born into an Italian family in Argentina, and is one of the most picturesque characters living in Ronda. A man with a calm, elegant manner, free from convention and with a soul as lively as his native homeland.

We cannot help but feel in awe of this incredible place, and suddenly it almost becomes comprehensible why in Finca Descalzos Viejos one can even find a hermitage dating back to Roman times and to the first Christians who came to settle in this land.
The small room, carved into the wall of sandstone deposits and once the seabed of the waters that covered these valleys, bears witness to a history that will never be forgotten here.

Simona and I agree that this is one of the most fascinating wineries in all Spain.
One of those visits where you can fully enjoy the complete enotourism experience.

With such pleasant conversation, everything flows better and Flavio's voice accompanies us as we pass from the garden to inside the main building. 

We enter an ancient world.
The contrast of the church walls with the vats and wine barrels lends a magical atmosphere to the room.
Flavio shows us how the sacred is mixed, in a poetic mutual respect, with the profane.
In the process of restoring the monastery, an incredible 16th century fresco was discovered under the two centimetres of lime that had accumulated over the centuries. The work of art revealed two amazingly preserved portraits of the patron saints, St. Iusta and St. Rufina.

Everything around us gives off an austere energy, and it feels natural for us to lower our voices to a whisper, in order not to disturb the resting wine and the hallowed space we are in.
Returning back to the reality of the moment, we feel that we could use something to eat and a few bottles of wine to uncork.
Flavio is well aware of how we feel and, seated around the old altar, he begins to explain why wine has been made in Ronda for more than 2,000 years. As he offers us a bite to eat, he tells us that the quality comes from the vineyard itself and the wines are honest because we let the vines do the talking.

And we waste no time in listening to their words, as we finally get to taste the two labels that Flavio has proposed.

Iusta a perfect wine at any time of day, becomes extraordinary when shared during a meal. It belongs to the Las Santas collection and only 2,000 bottles are produced when the quality of the grapes is exceptional. The mono variety Garnacha grape (Cannonau) is macerated and fermented with part of the stalk. It is then aged for 16 months in oak barrels and, as a result, we are treated to a wine of many nuances, where mineral and berry notes prevail over light spicy notes. The palate is complex, fresh and of great persistence.

Rufina is, according to Flavio's business partner Paco, a wine that speaks of love. Together with Iusta, it can be considered Finca Descalzos Viejos’s most exclusive wine: a red that is comparable the wines of the Côtes du Rhône. A complex Syrah, with hints of tobacco and leather, some cedar wood and dark berries. It boasts a whole cluster fermentation, which adds a slightly green, peppery note with some fresh earthiness. It is then aged for 16 months in 500 litre oak barrels in which a sweet wine from the Axarquia-Malaga region was previously stored, making it a truly unique Syrah.

Iusta and Rufina are the culmination of a production of 40,000 bottles, the result of Flavio's passionate, scrupulous daily work on 10 hectares of vineyards.

Amidst the assorted toasts, the endless chatter and the lightness of this unique moment, in a mixture of Italian, Spanish and English, we recognise two words: Boca Juniors.

Thus is it that we discover Flavio was born in the Boca district and for several years played for the legendary Buenos Aires team, playing at the Bombonera. As the American actor Danny Kaye used to say: Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.

Before we leave, Flavio embraces us in a warm farewell, indelibly fixing a clear image in our mind’s eye: that of a canvas, filled with all the colours of the rainbow, which he will never tire of painting.

^{FOTO DI JAVIER FLORES}