"I am the oldest of 3 sons from a Wine family established back in 1900. When my brothers and I were studying at school, my parents wanted us to learn the business from all points of view; harvesting, planting vines, pruning in the cold and foggy winters, removing the skins from the grapes... all sorts! It was funny, with all the heady aromas of the wine I often felt as though I had drunk over a bottle of wine.
One of the harder jobs I remember was planting the vines, as you needed to plant them really deep in the earth, and it was always during the hot Spanish summer months. In order to avoid the hottest hours, we would start at 5am and work until noon. Of course, we weren't as good as those who lived in the countryside and did this as a living, but we learnt to appreciate the effort it takes to make a good bottle of wine – enough for me to enter the profession!
During one winter, I remember my father waking up the whole family at 1 o'clock in the morning, in order to place the heaters close to the vines to counteract the frost. There were around 20 of us, chasing up and down the rows of vines the whole night long, like madmen, moving the heaters around to cooler spots. It was a challenging effort but in the end rewarding as we produced one of the best vintages ever!
One of my main principles now as a winemaker is to make affordable wine so that more people can enjoy and share the benefit of the work I and my team put into each vintage. Wines start on the vines in the countryside, and it is the continuous work in the vineyard that makes it possible to achieve great wine.
Over the last century, we have seen a great number of 'new' and 'improved' techniques to raise our production levels and minimise the costs. During the 70s, perhaps the fashion for modernisation was at its height. Nowadays, however, I am very keen to explore the older, less intensive practices. While we have not yet gone back to using horses and carts, I am studying all areas where we can be more natural. It is really respect for the land and the vines' own ability to reflect the the character of the land that I am looking for, with minimal intervention."
A few Naked Extras José shared with us -
- José described his perfect day as enjoying a fine bottle of wine with friends, sitting next to the seaside looking at the waves, the boats and the sun. With a few scallops or jamon iberico...
- Other than his native Spain, José's favourite wine region is Mendoza in Argentina. He loves the impressive landscape (not far from the Andes), and the mixture of tradition and wilderness
- In September 2005, wine critic Jancis Robinson selected his Conde Siruela 4 months oak as one of the best wines in a worldwide tasting
- José's pearl of wisdom... “If you provide love in the daily tasks you do in the vineyard or winery, you will conquer everything and produce excellent wine.
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