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Five wineries, which total up more than 2,000 Parker points, present the keys to their excellence at Fenavin

Care of the land, research, care of the vine and learning from those who know, are among these keys

Expectation on the second day at FENAVIN 2023 for the round table “500 Parker Points”, directed by Manuel Villanueva , Director General of Content at Mediaset España, and with the participation of Adela Córdoba, Responsible for Marketing at the winery Bodega Pérez Barquero ; Andreu Ortiz, Personal Manager for the winery Bodega Familia Nin Ortiz; Beatriz García del Pino, Brand Ambassador for the winery Bodegas Marqués de Murrieta; Benjamín Romeo, founder and enologist for the winery Bodega Contador, and Rafael Palacios, owner of the winery Bodega Rafael Palacios.

Manuel Villanueva made it quite clear that “in Spain there are well over 500 Parker Points, but I wanted to bring together 5 friends, whom I admire very much, from wineries that are located in different parts of Spain: Galicia, La Rioja, Córdoba and Tarragona, although if we were to add up all their Parker Points they would exceed 2,000.”

At the round table “Upon the Olympus of the Parker Gods, at Fenavin”, which attracted both a  national and international crowd, according to Villanueva himself we learned what it means to achieve a degree of excellence such as 100 Parker Points from the renowned publication “The Wine Advocate” with a quarter of a century behind it, and the keys to achieve them and if that excellence continues to be pursued. 

Opening the round of interventions was Benjamín Romeo, from San Vicente de la Sonsierra in La Rioja, who showed the pride he feels for his village, given that San Vicente is the patron saint of winegrowers. He also commented how “as of the year 2000 Parker began to score his wines above 98 points until 2004, when he achieved his first 100 Parker Points with ‘Contador’ and the following year the same score.” 

For Romeo, who works 90% with Tempranillo, “great wines can be made anywhere, but, be careful, we are talking about very small productions, and what you have to do is look at those who do things well, such as the French, and learn. You must know how to create a brand such as Bordeaux for example, where its excellent wines account for 0.5 percent of the total production of that area, but it pulls all the others up along with it, because they know how to make a brand, and in Spain we can do the same thing because there are good vineyards everywhere, it’s just a matter of reaching higher qualities.” 

Beatriz García explained that Marqués de Murrieta has 8 wines with 100 Parker Points, a success achieved over the years, which “means an endorsement, which we carry with humility and enthusiasm as it is an impulse to continue on that path of excellence, because it is a challenge to evolve and continue maintaining such a high level”, adding that in her opinion wines “transmit emotions and seek to transcend.” 

Rafael Palacios, born in La Rioja but living in Galicia, and who has been familiar with Fenavin for 10 years, with a stand at each edition, defined himself as “a person who was excited and moved by the world of white wine. He started his own personal project in Valdeorras almost 20 years ago, putting his interest in the Godello variety, and for years one of his plots marked its identity and differentiation from the rest. This was a plot with beautiful terraces, until I was able to start taking care of it separately in 2011, facing north with granite floors with lots of quartz, making wine that has been refined until it became the first Galician wine to achieve the highest Parker score and the first recent vintage Spanish white to achieve 100 Parker Points, precisely in 2020, a very special year, so dry.”  

And he was confident that Castilla-La Mancha could follow the path of the recent 100 Parker Points from Jumilla, of the Monastrell variety, “Pie Franco” from Casa Castillo. Making it clear that “achieving this excellence is in the hands of the producer because we are the main wine country in the world in terms of production and varieties, and we have something great that is represented in the roots of the indigenous varieties of our areas, which is what there is to defend, and differentiate.”  

Adela Córdoba, from the south, thanked Parker for paying attention to the wines from this historic winery “Pérez Barquero” with almost 120 years of life, because “the global influence of this score is evident and it makes us very happy as we are the ones caring for these jewels or vines that we have inherited, and that foremen and enologists have known how to maintain with respect for the vineyard and the land of Montilla Moriles.” 

 Andreu Ortiz explained that he represented a very young winery from Priorat, “which makes wine with enthusiasm, with an organic label as its flagship, and this Parker score gives us more energy to continue working, making it clear that our most excellent wine is backed up by exhaustive research and investigation that is not actually seen.” And he added that the secret to achieving it “is to think every day about doing the best possible job.” 

In statements made to the media, some of them highlighted the good organization of the trade fair and Benjamín Romeo added that “this is the first time that I have visited FENAVIN, and I am surprised by the organization because everything that promotes Spanish wine is very welcome, so perfect.”  

humility and enthusiasm as it is an impulse to continue on that path of excellence, because it is a challenge to evolve and continue maintaining such a high level”, adding that in her opinion wines “transmit emotions and seek to transcend.” 

Rafael Palacios, born in La Rioja but living in Galicia, and who has been familiar with Fenavin for 10 years, with a stand at each edition, defined himself as “a person who was excited and moved by the world of white wine. He started his own personal project in Valdeorras almost 20 years ago, putting his interest in the Godello variety, and for years one of his plots marked its identity and differentiation from the rest. This was a plot with beautiful terraces, until I was able to start taking care of it separately in 2011, facing north with granite floors with lots of quartz, making wine that has been refined until it became the first Galician wine to achieve the highest Parker score and the first recent vintage Spanish white to achieve 100 Parker Points, precisely in 2020, a very special year, so dry.”  

And he was confident that Castilla-La Mancha could follow the path of the recent 100 Parker Points from Jumilla, of the Monastrell variety, “Pie Franco” from Casa Castillo. Making it clear that “achieving this excellence is in the hands of the producer because we are the main wine country in the world in terms of production and varieties, and we have something great that is represented in the roots of the indigenous varieties of our areas, which is what there is to defend, and differentiate.”  

Adela Córdoba, from the south, thanked Parker for paying attention to the wines from this historic winery “Pérez Barquero” with almost 120 years of life, because “the global influence of this score is evident and it makes us very happy as we are the ones caring for these jewels or vines that we have inherited, and that foremen and enologists have known how to maintain with respect for the vineyard and the land of Montilla Moriles.”