From Rivera del Duero is the good wine CEPA 21

For this reason, DIARIO LAS AMRICAS interviewed the president of the winery firm, José Moro, who has in his endorsement the century-old legacy he received from his grandfather and father.

-What is it about Rivera del Duero that makes the wine so special?

Above all, it has very well-defined terrain. Clay soil, limestone, pebbles. That variety that is born with Tempranillo and that special climate, well combined, and of course working the vineyard with passion, with affection, makes us have such powerful wines, which have evolved over time and have, above all, , known to adjust to the taste of the consumer. And that is why CEPA 21 and, of course, the Rivera del Duero are so successful.

-Heir to a grandfather who knew how to make good wine.

I learned more from my father because when my grandfather (Emilio Moro) died, I was very young. But obviously, I always say it in my talks, that the first image I have is when I was five years old stuck in a vat, because they were big vats and the mouth was small, and my father put me in there to clean them with a brush, with a candle. That is the first memory I have, apart from days of learning how to prune. Those times of harvest, which in principle was a party because there was no school when we went to harvest. All of this impressed on me that passion, that illusion, that, although I despised it as a child because I did not understand why my father and my grandfather could like wine so much, but thank God for that which I denigrated, today it is my great passion, my great hope and I couldn’t be more satisfied with having a profession like the one I have.

-There is also dedication and experience involved in making the best order possible.

Man!, without a doubt, obviously. I was training until 1989, which is when I made the commitment to produce the first harvest. After that legacy received, came the legacy of love for wine. And that training has been constant because it is part of my way of understanding life. Constant learning to always get the best. Well, obviously, that is put into practice. And it has made it so that every year, thanks to that innovation, knowledge, and thanks to that experience, we are able to make better wines and among other things because of what the land gives us and because we have also known how to listen to the consumer who demands a certain type of wine and I think we have done it well.

-What makes a good wine?

What a good wine does first is bring out the best in people. Wine is art, it is culture, it is nobility. It is a great catalyst for human relationships and that is why it always brings people together and brings out the best in people. That’s what makes a good wine.

-In addition to knowledge and experience, what is needed to make a good wine.

You need to have a specific area with a specific terrain, in which those soils, that variety of grape, that authentic Tempranillo Tinta Fino that I inherited from my grandfather and my father and that has the characteristics of having clusters that are not so crowded together, a little looser, a smaller, more concentrated grape, which gives those powerful wines, which gives those wines with enormous complexity. All this thanks to also having a special microclimate, the one in Rivera del Duero, where I am having an adequate production process so that when, after going through that entire cycle, we put the wine in the bottle, we are able to seduce and fall in love with the consumer when uncork the bottle.

-You also bet on the spirit of solidarity and dedicated the harvest of Cepa 1 in 2019 to financially help the Scholas Foundation, with which more than 53,000 young people were able to access education in several countries around the world.

I think that social responsibility has also been in a certain way an expression of my way of understanding life. Helping others makes you feel good. And I believe that we have always helped with issues of social responsibility. We continue to help a lot, many causes of all kinds, participating, often leaving wine for different dinners. And the case of the Escola Foundation was an agreement that we made with the Pope’s (Francis) Foundation to promote and help culture among the youth of the world.

-Wine consumption in the United States is growing, but we still have to learn. What do you advise us when choosing a wine?

It is a fairly advanced market. It is a market that has criteria, is open and willing to have wines from all over the world present. It is one of the most competitive markets there is, and I believe it is a market that also has an open mind to trying new things. When the appellations of origin, when the brands, are increasingly liked, it is for a reason, and when they are liked more, it is because that public is open to tasting and getting to know new areas and new, different wines. We have to go, as I say, with pick and shovel doing tastings, holding conferences, giving talks, telling about the benefits that wine has.

I tasted it

To fully taste good wine and enjoy a good dish at the same time, we must take into account the harmony of flavors and textures that are presented to us on the plate, and the Casa Juancho restaurant, in Miami, led by chef Alfonso Prez He saw fit to prepare dishes from traditional Spanish cuisine to marry them with the whites and reds of Jos Mora.

pink milestoneaccompanied by a board of Iberian ham and Manchego cheese

Aromatic and refreshing wine, very floral on the nose, which denotes a delicate acidity in the mouth that conquers the palate.

Milestone 2022with piquillo pepper stuffed with carabinero dough and accompanied by one of them

This is a young red wine, with mineral nuances on the palate and red fruits on the nose.

CEPA 212019, supported by a soupy rice with lobster

Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, this wine takes the trophy of the night by denoting a delicate mineral nuance without pronounced acidity and an aroma of black fruits.