The participants have been José Luis Cuerda, Filmmaker and Wine maker; José María Ruiz, Owner of Pago de Carrovejas Winery; Fernando Ramírez de Ganuza, Wine maker and Mariano García, Enologist

08.05.2007 | 

The Sociologist, Journalist and Writer Lorenzo Díaz has coordinated the round table 'Different Strokes for Different Folks' that has taken place this afternoon with the participation of José Luís Cuerda, Filmmaker and Wine maker; José María Ruiz, Owner of Pago de Carrovejas Winery; Fernando Ramírez de Ganuza, Wine maker and Mariano García, Enologist.

The speakers at the table have put forward their opinions on matters as diverse as the tendencies in the sector, wines that are currently elaborated, their work philosophies or their experiences in the world of viticulture. Díaz presented his guests, cataloging them as "the cream of the world of wine and enology all gathered together", assuring that "we find ourselves in the prodigious decade of wines".

The turn of interventions started with Mariano García, who explained that the wine and gastronomy sectors in the last 10 or 12 years have experienced a "brutal leap", because, despite the fact that in Spain there has always been potential, we had no idea how to sell and we lacked confidence in our own products. García underlined that "we must believe in ourselves" and "before bringing in foreign varieties, we should explore the ones we have in those areas in which varieties with history exist".

On his part Fernando Ramírez de Ganuza explained that in his opinion a great wine is the one that results from a very good grape and in which every step that is taken until it is served at the table has been absolutely perfect. "Technology must be applied, but also exquisiteness", he concluded in reference to wine production, and "our varieties must be cared for to extreme limits", although he did show himself to be "open to anything that is good".

José María Ruíz insisted that he believes "in exigency and discipline as a work philosophy. To obtain a good wine, "we must first have excellent raw material and neither efforts nor money should be spared".

Filmmaker José Luís Cuerda told us how it came to be that he owns a winery in Galicia, a situation "that Amenábar is absolutely responsible for", and where they are planting new vine stock to obtain a good multivariate Ribeiro.

As far as who has contributed the most to diffusion in the world of wine, that is if it has been the sommeliers, the journalists or the "popes". Mariano García maintains that any talk as long as there is talk is more than welcome, however, he pointed out that producers are not always at the beck and call of trends and tendencies because "one has a certain grape and a certain philosophy and from the combination of the two one must obtain the best one can". In this respect, Ramírez de Ganuza is of the opinion that it is the newer lot in the sector who are truly benefiting from this overall situation of mass information about gastronomy and vitiviniculture.

José María Ruíz, displaying his vast experience as a Sommelier, talked about the situation of the profession, which has indeed changed drastically in the last 30 years, defending that the professional should preserve "the paraphernalia" involved in the wine service and also that the professional should always first, "very discreetly", try the wine to then serve it to the host.

On his part Cuerda's opinion was that each wine producer confronts an important decision, which in essence is to decide on making a wine that will sell beautifully or to make a good wine according to his own taste. The filmmaker concluded by adding, "although I'm not really qualified to give advice", he did recommend that producers should create the wine they actually like themselves.

Mariano García closed the session by assuring that the area of La Mancha has enormous possibilities for both 'Pago' wines and wines for hypermarkets.