Winemakers with a Name of Their Own: Mariano García
'Winemakers with a Name of Their Own' showcases wine through the people who create it. Mariano García: five decades interpreting Tempranillo with a unique style across six projects.
Mariano García
A life dedicated to listening to the vineyard
Some careers need no embellishment: a single poured glass says everything.
That is the case of Mariano García. His approach to interpreting Tempranillo—precise, intuitive, and deeply respectful of its origins—has shaped Spanish wine for more than five decades.
Today, we gather all his projects in one place, from his earliest milestones to his most recent chapters: Mauro, Garmón, San Román, AALTO, and Baynos.
Biography
Born in Valbuena de Duero, Mariano García trained at the Madrid School of Vine and Wine, beginning a journey that would make him one of the defining figures of Spanish winemaking. His first harvest took place in 1968 at Vega Sicilia, where he served as technical director for 30 years, safeguarding the estate’s identity while modernising its methods.
In 1999, he began a new chapter: he founded AALTO with Javier Zaccagnini and became the estate’s technical director from day one, shaping one of Ribera del Duero’s most influential projects.
He later added four more projects that complete the map of his style:
- Mauro in Tudela de Duero: breadth, ripeness, harmony.
- Garmón in Ribera del Duero: tension, purity, verticality.
- San Román in Toro: tamed power and precision.
- Baynos in Rioja: tradition reinterpreted with a family touch.
Five decades later, his philosophy is unchanged: respect the grape, listen to the vineyard, and work with the calm confidence of experience.
His vision
A style that transformed the way we understand Tempranillo
What distinguishes Mariano García is not only knowledge, but rare sensitivity:
- the pursuit of natural balance,
- minimal intervention,
- total respect for precise ripeness,
- and an ability to turn concentration into elegance.
His wines don’t follow trends: they follow place, vintage, and vineyard.
That is why they speak with a voice of their own.
His projects
1. Mauro (Castilla y León)
Gentle ripeness, breadth, elegance that flows
In Tudela de Duero, this style blends precise fruit, enveloping texture, and naturally balanced character.
Mauro is a wine that accompanies, fills without weight, and is unmistakable from the very first sip.
Mauro Wines:
- Mauro
- Mauro Vendimia Seleccionada
- Terreus
- Mauro Godello (Valdeorras)
2. Garmón Continental (Ribera del Duero)
The purest, most vertical expression of Ribera
Garmón is Ribera distilled: old vines, altitude, low yields, and a style focused on origin above all else.
A wine that is serious yet agile, deep yet vibrant.
Garmón Wines:
4. Baynos (Rioja)
The new family project in Rioja
Baynos represents the latest chapter in the García family. A Rioja project crafted with his sons, where tradition and a contemporary touch merge into wines defined by purity, freshness, and balance.
A sober, elegant Rioja rooted deeply in the landscape.
Baynos Wines:
5. AALTO (Ribera del Duero)
The modern Ribera through Mariano García’s lens
Founded in 1999, AALTO was conceived to express a contemporary version of Tinto Fino: precise, complex, and faithful to Ribera’s diverse mosaic of vineyards.
Since day one, Mariano has been its technical director, shaping a style defined by depth, clarity, and finesse.
AALTO Wines:
Different regions, one signature
- Mauro is breadth and harmony.
- Garmón is purity and depth.
- San Román is refined power.
- AALTO is precision and modernity.
- Baynos is Rioja seen through a timeless family lens.
Together, they tell the story of a winemaker who reshaped contemporary Spanish wine.