Humble master Mariano Taberna makes a range of delicious, terroir-reflective wines from his base west of Valencia in the historic D.O. of Utiel Reqena.

The Bodega Cueva has been producing wine since the 18th century and Mariano has been the custodian here for more than 20 years. His vineyards are largely planted to local varieties bobal and tardana, along with plantings of macabeo, tempranillo and syrah. His red wines are produced from vines with considerable age, more than 65 years on average, with the average age of the white varieties around 35 years.

The soils here are dominated by limestone which lends the wines their distinct freshness and the climate is relatively severe. Summers are hot and dry though the diurnal temperature range is dramatic and the proximity to the coast (70km) means that cooling breezes are a constant feature of the climate. All of this combines to make a wine producing area that just makes sense.

In the winery, Mariano works with the same level of care as vignerons like Karl Schnabel. The wines are totally precise and represent their terroir and respective varieties with complete clarity. The whites are fermented with varying degrees of maceration and the reds are fermented predominantly in tank and often with significant proportions of whole bunches and berries. All the wines are characterised by freshness, precision and a sense of levity.