With no machines or chemicals to help him, only his trusty mule, Ullamp, Manuel Di Vecchi Staraz tends his vineyards and makes his wines almost entirely by hand. His small parcels of old bush vines - Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre - grow on steep terraces at the base of the Pyrénées. The grapes are foot-trodden, and the wines ferment naturally before ageing in old barrels and amphorae. Even the bottles are largely hand-blown by a local glassmaker, with corks individually cut to size. Vinyer de la Ruca is about as artisanal as wine can get.
