Juan Antonio Ponce paid DVYM a visit recently brought along with T. Edwards super Spanish portfolio manager Nacho Monclus (former shopkeeper and wine buyer at DVYM). Juan Antonio works the vines in Manchuela, a lesser known wine region in the central eastern part of Spain. We tasted through a few wonderful wines (see notes below), but what struck me most was the warmth and sunshine of the man behind the wines. Aside from his knowledge of the land and the indigenous grapes he has been cultivating, I just wanted to sit down with Juan Antonio, break bread, shoot the breeze, and give him a big hug.  That's what it's like to meet him, and that's what it feels like to drink his wines.

Bodegas Ponce is a small, family-driven estate in Manchuela, Castilla-La Mancha, led by the talented Juan Antonio Ponce. His dream of farming his own vineyards began early, taking shape after studying viticulture and oenology as a teenager and gaining invaluable experience working alongside Compañía Telmo Rodríguez across several of Spain’s celebrated wine regions.

In 2005, Juan Antonio returned home to join his father, tending the family vineyards and embarking on a journey toward organic farming. Today, the estate embraces a thoughtful, regenerative approach to viticulture, encouraging biodiversity through native trees and vegetation and incorporating eco-conscious building practices into the winery itself.

Family remains at the heart of everything. Juan Antonio continues working side by side with his father in the vineyards, now joined by his own two children, who are beginning to carry the family legacy forward.

Bodegas Ponce is particularly celebrated for championing Bobal, Manchuela’s wonderfully expressive native grape, alongside other local varieties including Albilla, Moravia Agria, Monastrell, and Garnacha. 

SHOP PONCE