OUR WINEMAKERS

Some families have been making wine for a generation or two. The Hoch family have been at it since 1640.

For nearly four centuries, the Hochs have farmed the cool-climate vineyards of the Kremstal region in Austria — a place defined by its mineral-rich soils, dramatic temperature swings between day and night, and a winemaking culture that runs deeper than almost anywhere else in Europe.

What makes the Hochs truly special isn't just the history. It's what they've done with it. For the past 20 years, the family has farmed entirely biodynamically — a holistic approach to agriculture that treats the vineyard as a living ecosystem, working in harmony with natural cycles rather than against them. No chemicals, no intervention. Just a family and their land, doing what they've always done, better than ever.

Four wines in the Loco range come from the Hoch family. PROST!, our vibrant pét-nat sparkling. Rizzling, our crisp aromatic organic Riesling. The Groover, our endlessly drinkable organic white. And Left on Red, our light juicy chilled red wine made from Zweigelt and Blauer Portugieser. Four completely different expressions of one extraordinary piece of land.

Before Loco Wines even existed, we met Marc and his wife Miriam at a wine fair in Barcelona. Their wines stood out immediately — not because they were trying to impress anyone, but because they were just genuinely, quietly brilliant.

Marc and Miriam are based in the village of Tarrés in the Penedès region of Spain, and their life's work has been something remarkable: saving old vineyards from being lost forever. Vine by vine, they've brought neglected plots back to life — restoring not just the land but the history embedded in it. Some of the vines they tend are over 50 years old, surviving because someone cared enough to look after them.

Their farming is organic and as hands-off as it gets. Wild yeasts, minimal intervention, and a deep respect for what the land wants to give. When we visited them in Tarrés, it was immediately clear that this was wine made with genuine intention — not for the market, but for the love of it.

Arriba is what comes from that. A sparkling orange wine made from 100% Parellada grapes grown on those 50-year-old vines. Skin contact for 7 days, bottled mid-fermentation for natural bubbles, and not a single thing added. Peach iced tea vibes. Pure Marc and Miriam.

Pablo was born and raised in Las Mesas, a small town in the Cuenca region of Spain — wine country through and through. As the third generation of the Parra Jiménez family to lead their winery, Bodegas Parra Jiménez, Pablo grew up immersed in the world of wine from childhood — working in the winery, attending international fairs, and absorbing the craft long before he ever formally studied it.

Armed with a degree in Enology and a lifetime of hands-on experience, Pablo now leads the family winery with the same passion that has defined three generations before him. What sets him apart is his restless curiosity — a constant drive to explore new methods and bring genuine innovation to both the winemaking process and how those wines reach the people who drink them.

Skin Deep is the product of that philosophy. A wine made with deep roots and a forward-looking mind — exactly the kind of winemaker Loco Wines is proud to work with.

No family castle. No vast estate. Just five generations of wine merchants and oenologists, each one sharing the same relentless drive to make the best wine possible.

Pierrick Harang represents something increasingly rare in the wine world — a winemaker whose expertise is rooted not in land or legacy, but in knowledge. Five generations of accumulated craft, scientific mastery from grape to bottle, and a deep understanding of both domestic and international markets. The kind of expertise that doesn't shout, it just shows up in the glass.

What makes Pierrick's approach distinctive is his refusal to stand still. He closely follows the world's evolution — emerging trends, shifting consumer demands, and new restrictions — because he believes a wine must belong to its time. Not to history. Not to tradition for tradition's sake. To the moment it's being drunk.

That philosophy sits perfectly alongside what Loco Wines is building. Thirst Trap, our organic rosé, is made with Pierrick's guidance — and it shows. A wine that's technically brilliant, culturally relevant, and made for exactly the kind of drinker who doesn't want to be lectured about what they're drinking.