I was in Roa yesterday, a village in the centre of Ribera del Duero.

Pedro Hernández brought me there. I want to thank him for presenting me Pedro Frutos and his wife, owners, of Bodegas Frutos Aragón.

I enjoyed the visit a lot. Because I found a man who has very clear how to grow. We are talking about a small winery, but with a professional and larger winery ideas attitude, and with the intention to grow fast.

They are investing in installations when few companies do it now, not only on the wine sector but in any other.

He has 2 kinds of product strategies. By one side he tries to mecanize as much as he can in order to make the lowest variable cost of elaboration, with a good quality product. For this wine he has “Desafío” and he sells it at 3 euros. The “Desafío 2006” spends 9 months in french oak barrels.

Behind this name and this man there is a very interesting story. He reads and knows a lot about wine, about history and about history of wine. ¡How many nice stories there are behind many wines!

I had the opportunity to drink it later in a restaurant at dinner. I had to pay 5 times its winery price!!!!. Not bad for a restaurant to get such a huge margin. Is it excessive this margin? Is Pedro selling his wine too low? Maybe the answer is yes for both questions. But this is not new. Isnt´it?

There is another product line in wich he is focussed on quality and quality image. On this case he elaborates wine with the most expensive systems in order to get a first class quality product. A very good grape, taken at hand, the best barrels, the most controlled and cared elaboration. He intends to sell this product al 15 euros a bottle.

Pedro´s priority is an strict costs follow up, in order to be sure, that his sale prices are higher than costs prices. He operates with no banking support. This way he does not have to be thinking on banks relationship. The cost control responsible is his wife. I can realise they both make a very good team.

It continues in: «Bodegas Frutos Aragón, a small Ribera del Duero winery with very clear ideas (2)»

Post in Spanish: Bodegas y Viñedos Frutos Aragon, una pequeña bodega con las ideas muy claras.