Aural – wine with its own tone

There isn’t much written about it yet. No glowing reviews, no wine scores in glossy guides. And yet, the name Bodegas Aural keeps coming up — in conversations with sommeliers, at tastings, or simply around the table.

The first time we heard the name was at BonAmb in Jávea. Sommelier Enrique García Albelda spoke of it with a sparkle in his eye. “Aural,” he said. “That’s wine that sounds.” It sounded like a metaphor — until I discovered it isn’t one.

Wine that listens

The name Aural literally means “of or for the ear.”

At this bodega, located in La Manchuela, southeast of Cuenca, sound isn’t just a metaphor — it’s an essential part of their philosophy. The winemakers believe that vibrations, silence and acoustics influence both the growth of the grape and the way we experience wine.

During maceration, even ultrasonic frequencies are used — not as a technological gimmick, but as a refined way to guide natural extraction. It’s typically Aural: listening rather than controlling.

As they put it themselves: “We’re small interveners in a great process.”

Between mountains, silence and history

La Manchuela lies in the heart of Spain, between Valencia and Madrid, where the high plains of Castilla-La Mancha give way to the eastern coastal lands. Days are warm, nights are cool, and the vineyards are scattered across hills of limestone and slate.

The province of Cuenca still bears traces of its Moorish past: ancient irrigation systems, terraces, and villages that follow the rhythm of the landscape. It’s a quiet, rugged region, far from the bustling wine areas with big names.

Perhaps that’s exactly what gives Aural’s wines their character: concentration, calm and a certain musical clarity.

Aurelio García – the understated maestro

The man behind the project, Aurelio García Harraiz (main photo in this article), is no newcomer. As an oenologist, he has worked for numerous wineries in Spain and beyond, and is known for his precise, understated style. His approach is almost scientific, yet always guided by intuition. “The grape is the protagonist,” he says. “Our job is not to drown out her voice.”

Together with his team, he works with old vines — at least 75 years old — in La Manchuela and the Sierra de Gredos. The combination of altitude, temperature contrast and chalky soil produces wines with tension and freshness. Production remains deliberately small-scale, artisanal and independent.

Three wines, three tones

Each Aural wine is linked to a sound.

Not figuratively, but literally: through a QR code on the label, you can listen to the music that accompanies each wine.

• Armonía (Bobal, 2019) — born along the River Júcar in Cuenca. Soul music in liquid form: fresh, elegant, with a balance between strength and softness.
• Arpegio (Garnacha, 2019) — from the Sierra de Gredos, full of depth and structure. A wine that opens with tension and ends with finesse — like a chord that slowly fades away.
• Acorde (Bobal, 2019) — the flagship wine of the house, made from vines over eighty years old. A vino de paraje with roundness, suppleness and a velvety finish — a wine that will age beautifully for years to come.

These are not wines that demand attention. They speak softly — but they stay with you. Their character wasn’t conceived in a marketing room, but shaped by stone, silence and patience.

A new voice on the Costa

The vines may be old, but Aural is a young wine brand. It’s part of a generation of Spanish winemakers who connect quality with sensory experience and emotion. Their story resonates with that of restaurants like BonAmb, where wine isn’t seen as an addition but as an extension of the kitchen.

As Lammert from Grupo BonAmb sums it up: “When a Michelin-starred restaurant puts a wine like Aural on the menu, it not only elevates the prestige of that wine, but also enhances the experience of the entire menu.”

And that experience is precisely what Aural is all about: wine as a dialogue between people and their surroundings — between sound and silence.

Collaboration and tasting

In October, Aural is part of the Wine Month at The Sound Of The Costa, organized in collaboration with Grupo BonAmb.

Those who want to taste the wines themselves can order them via bodegasaural.com or by emailing bodega@bodegasaural.com. Recommended prices are €18.85 for Armonía, €19.50 for Arpegio and €34.30 for Acorde (excl. IVA).

Followers of The Sound Of The Costa and listeners of Costa Blanca Radio now receive 25% off when ordering with the code CBR-Aural2025.

Image: Bodegas Aural, Magazine Impuls