I recently visited the facilities of Bodegas Páramo Arroyo.
Bodegas Páramo Arroyo is interesting for me for several reasons.
On one hand, they have opted for organic viticulture. With this decision they face a higher cost process to protect the vineyard and to produce without resorting to certain chemicals. And they do it although there is no substantial sensitivity in the local market for this kind of working, and so far, have decided no impact on prices their higher costs.
They’re not alone on this kind of initiative. There are more wineries in Spain that have decided to produce organic wine, but very few do organic viticulture in Ribera del Duero.
They have also decided to place their products in the market later than usual. This has meant that sometimes they have been unable to attend competitions for failing to meet certain requirements in terms of vintages. They prefer to age more their wines. They believe in Paramo Wineries in this way get a better wine. And that is the most important argument for them for doing so.
I do not know if they are right or not, but I admire people who create their own path and follow it 100% without adjusting to trends that make the products somewhat homogeneous or undifferentiated.
This is a world we all know well and it seemed we were doomed by the proliferation of such establishments as McDonalds and so on. Long live the wines and foods, with personality, authentic.
One of the positive things that the wine world has is that you have quite a relatively high probability to succeed if your wines and your processes have their own personality and differentiates on a diverse world, as far as you elaborate a high quality product and remain consistent.
They tell me sales do not grow in the local market but they do in European markets, in Japan, the United States, where every they day sell more and more.
In my opinion Internet is the great ally to help spread their specialty. Internet makes it easier to be found by those consumers in the world who are more sensitive to environment and to such a special elaboration that this winnerie does.
Bodegas Páramo Arroyo. Vino ecológico de Ribera de Duero. (in spanish)
Continued on Bodegas Paramo Arroyo. Organic wine from Ribera del Duero (2).