At a glance
- Founded
- 2016
- Winemaking
- Marcelo Castro Vera, founder and winemaker
- Style
- natural wine · clay fermentation · no added sulfites
- Visits
- Open to the public
The house
At Octágono the grapes are stomped by foot, ferment with their own yeasts, with no sugar or industrial yeasts, and spend up to nine months in buried clay vessels. Then they are pressed by hand with rustic tools and bottled unfiltered and with no added sulfites. Artisans from San Felipe and Dolores Hidalgo shape the vessels, inspired by the Georgian qvevri.
Marcelo Castro Vera founded the house in 2016 in Vergel de la Sierra, municipality of San Felipe, within a larger project that includes the hotel El Nidal, built from shipping containers, a mezcal palenque (a traditional distillery), a brewery, and a spring water brand. The grapes come from growers who farm them naturally, and sometimes the house picks less sought-after varieties, such as Rosa del Perú.
The wines carry the name of their color, Blanco, Rosado, Naranja, and Tinto, and the shop adds the Fortachón. There are also experimental lots of pet nat and piquette that finish fermenting in the bottle.
You do not have to go all the way to San Felipe to try them. Octágono has a tasting room in downtown San Miguel de Allende, on Calle Tenerías, where it sometimes serves the experimental lots. At Vergel de la Sierra the tour passes through the palenque, the winery, and the brewery and ends with a tasting of more than thirty fermented drinks and spirits.
The wines
Natural wines made without winery technology, with foot-stomping, native yeasts, whole clusters, and skin contact. They rest up to nine months in buried clay, unfiltered and with no added sulfites, and each wine is named for its color.
White
Blanco
Fermented in buried clay vessels and bottled with no added sulfites.
Orange
Naranja
White grapes macerated on their skins in buried clay, unfiltered.
Rosé
Rosado
Made by the house method, with foot-stomping, native yeasts, and clay.
Red
Tinto
Whole cluster, spontaneous fermentation, and up to nine months in buried clay.
Sparkling
Pet nat
Experimental lots that finish fermenting in the bottle and are served in the tasting room as available.
- In the vineyard and the cellar
- foot-stomped · spontaneous fermentation · buried clay vessels · unfiltered · no added sulfites
What to taste
The Naranja, from white grapes macerated on their skins in buried clay vessels, and, if available, one of the experimental pet nats at the tasting room.
Why go
See a winery that works without machinery, with clay vessels made by regional artisans, or try its wines in the middle of downtown San Miguel de Allende.
The visit
Receives visitors. Confirm the hours before you go.
Offers:TastingsToursLodgingShop
Tastings and tours
The winery is in Vergel de la Sierra, in San Felipe, and the tasting room in downtown San Miguel de Allende. Confirm the hours with the house.
Lodging and amenities
Hotel: El NidalHotel built from shipping containers, part of the same project, in Vergel de la Sierra.
Getting there
Vergel de la Sierra, San Felipe, Guanajuato · Get directions ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Open the driving route in Google Maps:
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Frequently asked questions
Can you visit Octágono Vino Ancestral?
Receives visitors. Confirm the hours before you go.
What can you do at Octágono Vino Ancestral?
Offers tastings, tours, and a shop. Tastings are for guests 18 and older.
How do you get to Octágono Vino Ancestral?
Octágono Vino Ancestral is at Vergel de la Sierra, San Felipe, Guanajuato. The Get directions button on this page opens the place in Google Maps.
Can you stay at Octágono Vino Ancestral?
Yes, it has its own lodging: hotel (El Nidal).



