Friday, 3 October 2025, 13:56
The F. Schatz bodega has been a well-known name in Ronda for four decades. The Schatz family has worked in the wine industry since the seventeenth century but arrived in Malaga province in 1982 in search of a better climate to continue the family tradition.
The family is originally from Trentino, in the southern Tyrol, the German speaking part of northern Italy near the Dolomites. The family finally settled in the South of Germany, in Korb (state of Baden Württemberg) and has been specialised in viticulture since 1641.
At the tender age of 18, Friedrich (Federico) already had two things clear: firstly he wanted to continue the family’s winemaking tradition but he wanted to do so in an area with a better climate than his native Germany.
Friedrich travelled through several countries and finally chose Spain and specifically Ronda, thanks to its proximity both to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
Friedrich took a crash course in Spanish in Marbella but admits that the “practical lessons” with the bricklayers who helped with the renovation of his house “worked wonders for the mutual understanding” and his “perfect Andalusian accent”.
Although Friedrich had lessons in Marbella, it was in the Serranía de Ronda where he found both the estate to establish his vineyards and the family home.
The land is located in what is known as Finca Sanguijuela, whose initials coincide with the founder’s first and last names, hence the winery’s logo is FS.
Friedrich was also one of the first winemakers in the area to decide to produce wine organically. The estate and bodega continues with Friedrich, his wife, who is originally from Pamplona and their 13-year-old daughter who is learning the trade. Their Malaga wines with a touch of Germany are recognised nationally and internationally.
Dining and Cooking