Vender vino

I was at the dinner given by the First International Organic Wine Fair (FIVE). It was a buffet-dinner so as to make it easier for us to mix and socialize.

I was at a table with some people who appeared to be interesting. And in fact they were! The whole meal was served with incredibly good red wines.

We were eating our dessert, and the wife of one of the winemakers passed me a glass of Moscatel.

It was delicious and matched perfectly with the dessert. I went to look for another bottle because I wanted another glass but no joy. I could only find empty bottles of the Moscatel in question, until at last I found one with just enough left for a glass.

Someone introduced me to the winemaker, Javier Pérez Fonseca, who convincingly explained to me why he decided to go for organic grape-growing. It was so interesting listening to him that I lost the chance to meet other people; but he was so passionate that I consider the time spent with him as time very well spent indeed.

 What I did was to interview him the next day at his stand and he explained how he made his Azpea Dulce. Interesting fact: he only makes 4000 liters of this amazing wine (out of a total of 70,000 that he produces in the winery).

And this is what Javier told me about his Azpea Dulce, late harvesting and botrytis:

The winery was founded in 2000, and there are 17.5 hectares of vineyards, planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, Garnacha (Grenache), Viura and Moscatel de Grano Menudo (Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains).

He makes 70,000 bottles and has modern technology for wine-making, and only a few oak barrels, though he hopes to acquire more in the future.

The winery (Bodegas Azpea) is located in Lumbier, on the banks of the River Salazar, about 30 km from Pamplona

Javier:

Like I said during the interview, I now have no choice but to go and visit your winery, especially after seeing the photos!

Related posts:
First International Organic Wine Fair in Spain
First International Organic Wine Fair in Spain. After the event.
In Spanish: Bodegas Azpea en la primera Feria Internacional del Vino Ecológico

Presentation of the Eder red wine 2009 by Bodegas Escalera (Escalera Winery)

“We started focusing on our organic production because we did not like the aggressiveness with which crops were treated (herbicides, chemical products, etc.), and we thought that had to be a more natural and less environmentally aggressive way to handle agriculture. In fact, more than 400 chemical products of the 600 currently used in agriculture will be forbidden in Europe in the following five years”.

This is the beginning of the article about Bodegas Escalera (Escalera Winery) published at the Diario de Navarra back in 2005, titled “Crianzas and Reservas may also be organic”.

In 2001, Joseba Landíbar and Isidro Escalera inaugurated their winery in Beire, close to Olite (Navarre), although their families have been growing wine grapes since the XIXth century

Joseba presenting (in Spanish) the Eder Red Wine 2009 at the First International Organic Wine Fair, held in Spain.

Related posts:
First International Organic Wine Fair in Spain
First International Organic Wine Fair in Spain. After the event.
In Spanish: Bodegas Escalera en la primera Feria Internacional del Vino Ecológico

The purpose of the fair is to promote organic viticulture in south-western Europe.

The Fair is organized by the Asociación de Agricultura Ecológica de Navarra. (Organic Agriculture Association of Navarre)

There will be 52 wineries from Spain, Portugal and France, and representatives of 27 DOs (Denominación de Origen) and 13 Regional Governments (Comunidades Autónomas)

Organic wine production, organic consumption and the number of organic wineries are actually increasing despite the economic crisis in which we are immersed.

The goal of the fair is to promote organic wines in the international market, and reaches out to producers, distributors, retailers, and hotel and restaurant managers. Importers from 17 countries have confirmed their attendance, including from Japan, Germany and the United States (the major markets of organic wine) .

I’ve split the video into 4 sections to make it easier to follow:

First: An introduction by Edorta Lezaun (from “Lezaun” organic Winery)

Second: Ignacio Bidegain (General Coordinator of the FIVE)

Third: Salvador Eraso Stephens (Navarre regional Govt. Spokesman)

Lastly: Questions and answers

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For more detailed information, check out the website created for this purpose: www.five-bio.com

This post in Spanish: Primera Feria Internacional del Vino Ecológico