Bodegas Bhilar

Spain – Rioja

No tractors — just horses

Bodegas Bhilar is a boutique winery located in Elvillar, Rioja Alavesa, run by husband and wife team, David Sampedro and Melanie Hickman. Their goal is to make terroir-driven wines with soul, respect the land, work only with indigenous grapes, and to share their unique wines with good people with positive energy.

No tractors — just horses, at Bodegas Bhilar, who farm biodynamically and work only with indigenous varietals.  In 2016 they opened a new sustainable winery “off the grid”, utilizing solar power and partially subterranean with concrete fermentation tanks to help control the temperature.

Winemaker and viticultor David Sampedro was named “Grower of the Year” By Tim Atkin, 2020