Blog – Primera Entrega

I start this blog with the illusion of who, finally, starts a journey long awaited for, which has been the dream of a whole lifetime: having my own wine, a signature wine. 

I inherited my passion for wine from my father, Aníbal, for whom taking care of his vineyards and his village, Otero, meant all in life. To them he devoted the best of himself: his effort, his time and his knowledge, which was not meager. He was deeply committed to his vineyards. He cherished the cultivation, always obsessed with keeping the vineyard clean and fighting the weeds. He spent hours scrutinizing the sky, with the motor ready to prevent the fearsome Mildew and other calamities. He awaited the harvest with excitement, to bear the fruits of his hard labor and make his wine, that claret that so many people tasted in his cellar in the small alley. 

Today, I would like to present to you my wine. Or better, our wine, because this is a family wine, resulting from the effort and dedication of a wonderful team of people. Among them, our oenologist José Hidalgo (Pepe, as his friends call him) deserves a special mention. I will be forever grateful to him for helping me make this possible, sharing his invaluable expertise with careful and wise directions. This is a wine that has arrived to stay. Despite its small production (only 2801 bottles in the 2013 vintage) it looks in the future with eagerness and hope, focusing on being liked and not on winning. With a strong emphasis on quality before quantity.

Our vineyards, 2.5 ac (1 ha) of centenary grapevines that we cherish in “Los Fornos” (some of which were already cultivated by my great-great-grandfather), are the best assurance for the quality of our wine. Aníbal de Otero viña vieja 2013 was harvested on October 6th 2013. The grapes were selected and collected by hand in small boxes. It was made following artisanal methods in 1320 gal (5000 L) tanks, with the help and collaboration of the team at Bodegas Adriá. The fermentation lasted a couple of weeks. Afterward, it was aged for 14 months in casks made of top-quality French oak, to then spend 20 months in the bottle, before being available for sale. From the label to the capsule, and the cork to the box, everything has been carefully selected to ensure that, once it is in your hands,you can appreciate the immense amount of passion, hard work, commitment and professionalism that lie behind every single bottle of this first Aníbal de Otero wine.

You might like it more or less, but for sure it will not leave you unaffected. I’m sure that if you try it, you’ll want to repeat.