Vinos Silenciosos, essential reading
An invaluable source of information to understand Rioja today
Journalist Alberto Gil and agricultural engineer Antonio Remesal have taken on these secondary roads, travelling the length and breadth of Rioja, treading its valleys, hills and villages, identifying its grape growing areas and meeting growers and winemakers who are deeply attached to their land. They have used all this wisdom and knowledge to write a fascinating book which provides an excellent and up-to-date overview of our viticulture: Vinos Silenciosos (Quiet Wines).
The merit of Silent Wines is twofold. It is both thorough and informative and serves as an introduction to the region, but it is also a valuable resource. It is a guidebook and an essay. In the words of La Rioja ice-cream producer Fernando Sáenz and winner of the National Gastronomy Prize, it is an "encyclopaedic and painstaking undertaking that is absolutely essential". British writer and critic Tim Atkin describes it as a "passport to enjoyment" and an invitation to discover Rioja with a copy of the book in one's hand. Both are absolutely right, as Remesal & Gil have successfully combined inquisitiveness and knowledge in an easy-to-read fun book that makes learning enjoyable.
Ground-breaking approach
The main thread of the book, and its most novel element, is the authors' proposal to divide Rioja into different zones. They arrange the territory in eight zones spanning from the River Tirón valley in the far northwest to the banks of the Alhama in the easternmost part of Rioja. Each of these eight areas is essentially shaped by its geography -its hydrography, to be precise-, but also by an intangible identity. In the words of Antonio and Alberto, the fact that "the men and women in each of the zones share similar ideas in terms of vineyard cultivation and wine culture is particularly significant?.
Vinos Silenciosos is structured in eight chapters covering the different areas. Each section includes a variable number of wineries, over 200 in total, representing just over a third of all the bodegas that bottle wine in Rioja. The chapters begin with a geographical overview of each area and a string of interesting data, including a list of highly recommended local restaurants.
The book includes pull quotes in English -they not only seem to be a good idea, but also suggest a future release in this language. This would be highly desirable, given the growing interest that Rioja and its wines generate in international markets. This attraction has also extended to wine tourism in recent years, with a steady increase in visitors from other countries, who now account for 30% of all wine tourists.
Antonio Remesal & Alberto Gil (foto: Degusta La Rioja)
A pleasant finding
We are delighted to appear on page 103, in the chapter that the authors call Sonsierra Occidental, with our Conde de los Andes winery and its "mind-blowing network of calados [cellars> that are open to visitors in their entirety".
Alberto Gil and Antonio Remesal praise the bodega's refurbishment and expansion undertaken by Muriel Wines over the last five years. The result of these efforts is appreciated by visitors and institutions involved in cultural heritage and tourism. Indeed, as Vinos Silenciosos says, we are in the "largest underground gallery in Rioja, where, we can assure you, you will be amazed (...). Not to be missed".
As well as being grateful to the authors for the mention, we would like to borrow their final kind words about Conde de los Andes to highly recommend their book. We are sure that it will leave a decisive mark on this period of Rioja's history.
VINOS SILENCIOSOS
Editorial Pepitas, ISBN 97884121202.
Retail price: 23,65 ?
On sale in Pepitas de Calabaza, Amazon and many bookshops in Spain."
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