Two Hands and a Mule: Vinyer de la Ruca.

Two Hands and a Mule: Vinyer de la Ruca in Banyuls

Vinyer de la Ruca Profile

Quick Facts

Name of Estate	Vinyer de la Ruca
Region	Roussillon
Country	France
Proprietor	Manuel di Vecchi Staraz
Size	5.5 hectares
Farming	Organic
Soils	Schist
Grapes grown	Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan
Fun facts	No mechanization or modern tools are used in the vineyards or cellar. Everything is done by hand. To eschew industrial glass, all the bottles are blown by a local artisan.

No mechanization or modern tools are used in the vineyards or cellar. Everything is done by hand. To eschew industrial glass, all the bottles are blown by a local artisan.

Name of Estate	Vinyer de la Ruca
Region	Roussillon
Country	France
Proprietor	Manuel di Vecchi Staraz
Size	5.5 hectares
Farming	Organic
Soils	Schist
Grapes grown	Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan
Fun facts	No mechanization or modern tools are used in the vineyards or cellar. Everything is done by hand. To eschew industrial glass, all the bottles are blown by a local artisan.

Get to know
Vinyer de la Ruca

producer profile 04.12.2019

Vinyer de la Ruca Producer Profile

In our modern times, it's baffling how much we overlook and take for granted. We want more, faster and cheaper. Even within our particularly fun subculture of fine wine (and let's not kid ourselves that it isn't), too often we treat wine as a commodity, as business. And even within the most militant of <glossary title="708">natural wine</glossary> circles, very few of us think about the <glossary title="539">industrial</glossary> shortcuts that permit us to drink the fruits of a <glossary title="1089">vigneron's</glossary> labor at a "fair" price: the tractor, the <glossary title="827">press</glossary>, the <glossary title="185">bottles</glossary>, the <glossary title="336">corks</glossary>. Not to mention refrigerated containers shipped across an ocean! As the wines we love and have been diligently fighting for over three decades reach new levels of popularity, opportunism and capitalism seem ever to abound. But what if someone did the exact opposite? Did everything without <glossary title="645">mechanization</glossary> or <glossary title="539">industrialization</glossary>? What would it entail? What would the results be? In the steep, micro-<glossary title="1129">yielding</glossary> <glossary title="">schist</glossary> slopes of <glossary title="135">Banyuls</glossary>, Manuel di Vecchi Staraz set his sights to find out. Originally from <glossary title="1191">Florence</glossary>, Manuel received a PHD in <glossary title="">agronomy</glossary> in <glossary title="675">Montpellier</glossary> and later taught classes in his hometown. Unsatisfied with his academic career, he set his sights to become a <glossary title="1089">vignaiolo</glossary> in <glossary title="1217">Basilicata</glossary>. But it didn't take, so Manu decided to come back to France to find land. His only prerequisite? That it could not be worked by tractor. "I wanted to do everything by hand. I wanted to create barriers for myself." The search brought him to the treacherous, heavily abandoned <glossary title="1022">terraces</glossary> of <glossary title="135">Banyuls</glossary>. Steep and on hard <glossary title="933">schist</glossary>, it was the perfectly suited for his goals. All he needed was a vineyard and a mule. Down a long, narrow dirt path giving way to a breathtaking view of <glossary title="135">Banyuls</glossary> and the sea, Manuel was able to acquire a semi-abandoned, two <glossary title="523">hectare</glossary> <glossary title="1022">terrace</glossary>. Despite missing many vines, it was <glossary title="430">exposed</glossary> full South and planted in old <glossary title="508">Grenache</glossary>, perfect for the production of <glossary title="135">Banyuls</glossary>. From 2006 to 2014, his entire production and livelihood came from this <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> and the scant 1000 bottles it produced a year. Everything was <glossary title="481">made in a garage</glossary> and for a while Manuel lived in a tent above the land. In 2011, Manuel and Bruno Duchêne spearheaded the purchase of <a href="https://9caves.com/">Les 9 Caves</a>, a large edifice in the middle of town that used to house <glossary title="135">Banyuls's</glossary> <glossary title="252">cave cooperative</glossary>. Along with a wineshop, restaurant and guest rooms, nine individual <glossary title="254">cellars</glossary> would be built for small wineries to operate in. Manu was fully at the helm of the buildout and management. By 2014, Les 9 Caves was fully operational; equipped with a "real" <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>, it was time for the new challenge of making <glossary title="405">dry</glossary> red wines. Now established in the region, Manuel was quickly able to rent new <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary> and today finds himself with 5.5 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary>. Everything in the vineyards is done by hand. Manuel refuses to trim grass with brush cutters, instead opting for sheep to openly graze the vineyards in the winter or, in some cases, to till the soil with the help of his mule Ullamp. To fully execute this, he hired a team of contractors to build logistically unprecedented and costly fences around his <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary>. The few neighbors he has all think he's nuts. In the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>, every wine is made the same way. The grapes are manually <glossary title="378">destemmed</glossary>, then <glossary title="458">foot trodden</glossary> in open <glossary title="1140">vats</glossary>. Invoking the old traditions of <glossary title="744">Porto</glossary>, live music is played the entire time to encourage the workers and create an aura of celebration. The wine <glossary title="441">ferments</glossary> naturally in open  <glossary title="1140">vats</glossary>, with Manuel breaking the <glossary title="234">hat</glossary> with his hands when he feels necessary. They are then <glossary title="843">racked</glossary> manually to <glossary title="142">barrel</glossary>, <glossary title="986">stainless</glossary> or <glossary title="445">fiberglass</glossary> for <glossary title="418">élevage</glossary>. No additives, save for about 3% of a spirit base for the <glossary title="135">Banyuls</glossary>, is added to the wine at any point. <glossary title="185">Bottling</glossary> is of course done manually with a hose tube, with each bottle corked one at a time in the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>. Speaking of the bottles: to eschew industrial glass, the majority of the production is <glossary title="185">bottled</glossary> in blown glass produced by a local <glossary title="121">artisan</glossary>. This is a three week process from start to finish, resulting in gorgeous, one of a kind <glossary title="1160">vessels</glossary> for each bottle. You'll never see the same one twice and it's essentially a double purchase: a delicious bottle of wine a a gorgeous carafe, <glossary title="382">decanter</glossary> or vase. Today, a normal annual production hovers around 2000 bottles. To achieve these microscopic quantities, Manuel works harder than a <glossary title="331">conventional farmer</glossary> with 25 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary>. So yeah, the wines are expensive: a realistic reflection of the price of the work. We can get down with that.

producer visit 31.12.2019

This visit at Vinyer de la Ruca took place in June, 2019.

This visit at Vinyer de la Ruca took place in June, 2019.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//b0/d5/b0d5b0b14105b484ee367b1038cba326.jpg" /> Words and photos by Jules Dressner. After a first great night in <glossary title="135">Banyuls</glossary> with the <a href="http://9caves.com/">9 Caves</a> gang, the plan was to start the day by visiting vines with Manuel di Vecchi Staraz of Vinyer de la Ruca. We were staying at <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/bruno%20duch%C3%AAne">Bruno Duchêne's</a> and hoping for some breakfast but the fridge didn't have much (food) in it.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//c4/b3/c4b399ec5a433ec9887c8c6dfb9c79b5.jpg" /> Instead, we decided to meet Manuel by the water for some pastries. Over coffee by the sea, Manu gave us the history of Vinyer de la Ruca. He is originally from <glossary title="1191">Florence</glossary> and for many years taught there at an agriculture school. Unsatisfied with his academic career, he decided to quit and become a <glossary title="1089">vigneron</glossary>. Manuel originally set his sights on <glossary title="1217">Basilicata</glossary>, but when that fell through he started looking in France. From the get-go, Manuel had a clear goal: he would would make wine in a place where <glossary title="645">mechanization</glossary> was impossible. “I wanted to do everything by hand. I wanted limits for myself.” He eventually found what he was looking for in the <glossary title="1129">micro-yielding</glossary> <glossary title="933">schist</glossary> <glossary title="1022">terraces</glossary> of  <glossary title="135">Banyuls</glossary>. In 2006, he bought a semi-abandoned <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> of very old <glossary title="508">Grenache</glossary> vines and for eight years lived off of the scant 1000 bottles of <glossary title="461">fortified wine</glossary> it produced. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//87/b6/87b60d93383ed0ee11b4a719a74ff049.jpg" /> It was a return to a primitive life. Everything was done with his own two hands. The wine was produced in a tiny garage in town, <glossary title="843">racked</glossary> and <glossary title="185">bottled</glossary> manually.  For a while he even lived in a tent above the vineyard.  In 2011, he and <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/bruno%20duch%C3%AAne">Bruno Duchêne</a> started the <a href="http://9caves.com/">9 Caves</a> project. This massive undertaking involved converting <glossary title="135">Banyuls</glossary>’ recently abandoned <glossary title="252">cave cooperative</glossary> into a “cave cooperative indépendante”: a place where nine independent <glossary title="1089">vignerons</glossary> could share a space to make their wines while simultaneously running a restaurant, a wine shop and guest rooms. I distinctly remember our first visit right after it opened: Manuel was cooking dinner for a room full of paying customers that night!  With the buildout of <a href="http://9caves.com/">Les 9 Caves</a>, Manuel finally had a “real” <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//1e/5d/1e5d4af2699e4e2312e4ebd5c6e10a43.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//64/04/640463d2855f1182cf08c8d77dfcfcee.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//36/d8/36d844273aa8ff240faec81fbe194806.jpg" /> It’s the smallest of the nine, but still more spacious than the garage he’d been working out of. This meant it was time for a new challenge: more land to produce <glossary title="405">dry reds</glossary>. At this point he was well established in the area, so it was easy to find an additional three <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> to rent.  “Renting is better here. The Ullamp vineyard costs me a 100 euros a year. Buying would cost 15 000. Though it’s still cheap compared to other regions, there is next to no demand for these <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary>. I think the old timers are just happy someone wants to work it.” Now fueled up on coffee and pain au chocolat, we hopped into the only <glossary title="645">mechanical</glossary> object Manu permits himself to use: his car. Around 20 minutes from <glossary title="135">Banyuls</glossary>, we set off to Le Rimbeau, a tiny village west of <glossary title="319">Collioure</glossary>. Nestled in the mountains, only about 10 families live there. Manu pointed out to one of the village's beautiful details, a house built around a huge protruding chunk of <glossary title="933">schist</glossary>.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//97/e3/97e341deac9178319557c29fb7a7cb94.jpg" /> Manu’s largest vineyard is located here. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//f2/52/f2525d7cb28f7c0d8baa18d0850bf004.jpg" /> Some of the grapes are used for the <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/Ananas">Tutti Frutti Ananas</a> project, others to make his own <glossary title="405">dry reds</glossary>.  The first thing I noticed was that the vineyard, while completely isolated, is surrounded by fences. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//9f/33/9f33fdaadfe5e813afddb10dae99c9fa.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//c2/37/c2375826a3a46480222209ffee0c8a13.jpg" /> Manuel has hired a team of contractors to build these logistically unprecedented and costly fences so that his sheep can graze within the vineyards.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//35/4b/354bc3d7bd55141cec27cfefc7deea01.jpg" /> “The sheep take care of the competing grass. I don’t need to work the soil this way. And having animals also brings <glossary title="1162">biodiversity</glossary> you wouldn’t have otherwise.” The few neighbors he has all think he’s nuts. The <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> here is two <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of <glossary title="508">Grenache Noir</glossary> and 50 <glossary title="1208">ares</glossary> of <glossary title="692">Mourvèdre</glossary>. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//ac/02/ac027233740df0a388d0cc1a44b8d5f8.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//35/e7/35e7e4dd6c3dabfcb1eec9319359df77.jpg" /> The vines are about 25 years old. While the soils are still <glossary title="933">schist</glossary>, there is a heavier proportion of <glossary title="301">clay</glossary> so <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> are higher, around <glossary title="524">25hl/h</glossary>. The <glossary title="430">Northern exposition</glossary> means that this <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> is well suited for <glossary title="405">dry red</glossary>.  One thing I found amusing was Manuel referring to this area as “the plains” though it it's undeniably steep. It turns out that any vineyard that isn’t <glossary title="1022">terraced</glossary> and therefore can be worked by tractor is considered “a plain” in the area. The single vineyard farmed by <a href="https://www.beckywasserman.com/domaines/pedres-blanques/">Pedres Blanques</a>, another tiny <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> run by a Japanese couple out <a href="http://9caves.com/">Les 9 Caves</a>, is also in this village.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//6a/d9/6ad995f23a049968b96fd6d02d9cb13c.jpg" /> Our next stop was the Ullamp vineyard. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//04/53/0453380372adabf901be6cd1d5ea8d7f.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//2f/60/2f60f34c3db7074f5eff90a0778d74e2.jpg" /> This 0.25 <glossary title="523">hectare</glossary> <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> consists of 25 year old <glossary title="692">Mourvèdre</glossary> vines. It’s named after Manu’s mule (he makes an appearance on the label) and is the only <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> where he <glossary title="1028">tills the soil</glossary> (with the help of Ullamp of course). He took it over in 2014 and produced his first <glossary title="405">dry red</glossary><glossary title="405"> </glossary>from here. About 50 yards out, Manuel's recent stagiaire Kiko was working on a new plantation of <glossary title="1158">Grenache Gris</glossary> <glossary title="430">exposed full South</glossary>. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//45/53/455364da3eec133b45bcfa739c1c498e.jpg" /> Manu hopes to eventually make a white and a <glossary title="778">pet nat</glossary> from these grapes. Kiko, a sweet young Italian, is the first person to assist Manuel since he started Vinyer de la Ruca. “I like working alone. It limits me.”  Our last stop was the <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> Manuel founded the <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> with in 2006. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//c1/71/c171a2bfcb8d29bca48a7dcefff21cd3.jpg" /> You actually have to follow a path below <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/bruno%20duch%C3%AAne">Bruno Duchêne</a>’s vines to get there; it was a bit surreal discovering this unbeknownst area so close to a place I’ve visited many times.  Of all the vines we visited that day, this was the most classic <glossary title="135">Banyuls</glossary> <glossary title="1022">terrace</glossary> of the bunch. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//25/e5/25e5bcc4a1119cec1103378985ff36db.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//63/5a/635a98d95111aa2affd1e20e4b30f4cf.jpg" /> <glossary title="430">Exposed full South</glossary>, <glossary title="740">very old vines</glossary> of <glossary title="508">Grenache</glossary> grow here. Though it totals two <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary>, only about half of it is actually planted and the vines are very <glossary title="1129">low yielding</glossary>.  “The <glossary title="324">concentrations</glossary> here are so rich. Only a <glossary title="135">Banyuls</glossary> could come from this vineyard.” After a beautiful morning in the vineyards, we had lunch at the excellent <a href="https://lefooding.com/en/restaurants/restaurant-el-xadic-del-mar-banyuls-sur-mer">Xadic del Mar</a>. Our roomate Alain, who was sharing <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/bruno%20duch%C3%AAne">Bruno Duchêne</a>'s apartment with us, had us tearing up in laughter.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//46/cf/46cfc08070092c6a508957719b8fcf85.jpg" /> One day I need to write a novel about this guy. I will however say that this picture does indeed say a thousand words. After lunch, we took a quick excursion to visit Nathalie Lefort, the force of nature behind <a href="https://levinaigre.com/">La Guinelle</a>, the best vinegars in the world.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//f4/ff/f4ff32a92974287b33307c2aa88f927b.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//da/fc/dafcfd74875b5093ab656726f9d6917e.jpg" /> Our afternoon ended back at Manu's <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>. All the wines are made the same way: the grapes are manually <glossary title="378">destemmed</glossary>, then <glossary title="458">foot trodden</glossary> in <glossary title="1218">open vats</glossary> while live music is played (<a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/la%20cave%20des%20nomades">Zé Tafé</a> tends to be one of the musicians).  The wines then <glossary title="441">ferment</glossary> in <glossary title="1218">open vats</glossary>, with Manuel <glossary title="234">breaking the cap</glossary> manually (literally with his hands) when he sees fit. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//7a/f5/7af56f4744e9e36f955e443a217baddb.jpg" /> With the exception of the addition of <glossary title="975">spirit</glossary> to the <glossary title="135">Banyuls</glossary> (3% of the total blend) nothing is added or taken away to the juice. Any <glossary title="843">rackings</glossary> are done manually through a small tube.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//06/81/0681d93c31aa484abfc64f1333b998bb.jpg" /> As you may already know, for the most part Manuel uses blown glass bottles for his wines.  “When I found out there was a local <glossary title="121">artisan</glossary> making these, the idea instantly came to me.1000 bottles represents two entire months of work! From beginning to end, it takes three to four weeks for a bottle to be made.”   <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Dec_31//22/69/2269ea7b83937ef40542e1839e5d6932.jpg" /> Each bottle is thus unique in detail and shape. In such, Manuel needs to order custom <glossary title="336">corks</glossary> for them. As you can probably deduce by now, each bottle is filled and corked manually in the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>.   FUN FACT: the Vinyer de la Ruca logo was inspired by a dried out eggplant that was lying around the house. “It just looked unique". His ex-wife, an artist whose pieces can be spotted throughout the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>, designed the original <glossary title="573">label</glossary>. As you can see from the picture above, Manu still has the eggplant that started it all.

producer profile 04.12.2019

Vinyer de la Ruca Producer Profile

producer visit 31.12.2019

This visit at Vinyer de la Ruca took place in June, 2019.