Wine should be drunk, but what is essential is to live it. And listen to it, because it speaks from the glass, some are even charlatans, and they dialogue with us about aromas of the land, of the fruit, of tradition, of authenticity, and of friendship and commitment to the land and nature. These are the words of José Moro at the foot of the vineyard, as he teaches us how to hand-harvest his precious Tempranillo – at the right point of ripeness – the old-fashioned way, bunch by bunch, in one of his most appreciated vineyards, almost at the foot of the winery. José is a visionary born in Pesquera (Valladolid), a man forged in the countryside and clinging to it, belonging to one of the great Spanish wine sagas – with more than a hundred years of good work. He left the presidency of Bodegas Emilio Moro in April 2022, at its peak, after three decades at the head of the company and now proudly shows his most ambitious, revolutionary and successful creation, the Cepa 21 estates and his winery. An integrated winery, which has the best technology and has not only managed to put on the market some of the most talked about red wines at the moment, but also ensure that the passion for the countryside and respect for the territory has infiltrated the soul of Cepa 21 and integrated its company into the riverside landscape, even improving its conservation and biodiversity and becoming an obligatory stop on the way to either Aranda or Peñafiel. Making wine is his great passion, but if possible his love for the land is even greater.
Harvest advance
The vegetative cycle of the vine is shortening in practically the entire Peninsula. In warm lands like Alicante it is easy to see muscatel trailers unloading at the Teulada cooperative, or in Xaló, or in Biar, already in the first weeks of August. In La Mancha it is difficult to grow quality crops because for more than a year the sun has exhausted the plant prematurely. And this has been happening almost every year since at least the end of the 20th century.
José Moro is also accustomed lately to early harvests in Ribera de Duero and the truth is that – despite the seasonal variability – in recent years he does not remember a bad harvest. And yet he does tell us about “excellent” recent vintages. In general, in the Padre Duero Valley, in the last 30 years, winemakers agree that almost all the early ones that were harvested in September were exceptional, with an absolute state of ripeness. These new times contrast with the memories of the older people of Peñafiel, Pesquera, Quintanilla… who remember that the harvests began earlier in mid-October.
Tempranillo (the cencibel or ink of the country) has it in its name, it is true: it is an early grape. But for it to provide all its properties, it is necessary that the vine cycle be completed in adequate conditions, completely, so that the grapes ripen proportionally and the Duero wines provide the nobility and maturity that is so popular in the market. This variety of grape, so Spanish, so Castilian, which in Mediterranean areas has had a bad time and even experts predict a complicated future, has shown better adaptation and resistance to climatic variations, or global warming, in the Ribera del Duero. , a denomination where other varieties have greatly suffered, for example, from the lack of water; or the lowest day/night thermal amplitude that Spain suffers this century.
Grow at height
What’s more, in recent decades it has been proven – scientifically, beyond opinions or impressions – that in many wine-growing areas of southern Spain, cencibel productions are being seriously affected as a consequence of climate change, which is why the main wineries Spanish companies are already looking for and applying solutions: the most obvious, but daring, cultivation at higher altitudes, such as chestnut trees or cherries in Asturias; fleeing the rigor of the summer heat and the strangely high temperatures at times that are not favorable. And they can ruin an entire year’s work.
At higher altitudes—Moro farms at about 700 m on average—the soils tend to be poorer and stonier. Some higher places, integrated into the scrub and oak forest of the area, have a higher concentration of limestone and clay, which gives a special minerality to the fruit, allows greater drainage for the vine and prevents the plants from growing excessively vigorous. and, therefore, do not offer a premium product. These factors materialize in lower grape production (the Council itself limits the number of kilos per hectare) but of much higher quality and richness of nuances. The experience of recent years shows that they are perfect soils for producing high quality grapes. The rest is done by the wisdom of the winemaker and the winemaker.
This winery-boutique, located in a beautiful spot in La Ribera, is located in the municipality of Castrillo de Duero (Valladolid), in the heart of the designation of origin. The first vineyards of Bodegas Cepa 21 were planted in 2000 under the supervision of José Moro himself and following his criteria, who set himself the founding goal of leading modern viticulture in the area through new technologies and systems, also imprinting a creative and revolutionary approach on the organoleptic design and in the creation of these signature wines. And even more – and this is very important and is at the base of his philosophy, according to Moro himself – the firm commitment to the territory, so that the region continues its sustainable development and that the wine industry and wine tourism continue to provide employment, development and international prestige to the region.
José Moro’s farm has perfect soils to produce high-quality grapes in vineyards at higher altitudes to adapt to climate change
Respect for the environment
The building that houses the winery, inaugurated in 2007, was designed by Alberto Sainz de Aja and José Manuel Barrio, who knew how to capture respect for the environment but also the modern essence of José Moro and at the time of his new company, heir to the viticultural wisdom of three generations. Minimalist and integrated into the landscape, the building has a beautiful entrance and imposing balconies and windows with fairy-tale views of the vineyards.
In 2019, Cepa 21 had launched a digitalization and artificial intelligence project in collaboration with technology companies and universities, which would allow the historical data of the Regulatory Council of the Ribera del Duero Designation of Origin to be analyzed and combined with classified historical climatological information. Cultivation and harvesting decisions, as well as work dates, were previously made by experience and intuition and now obey more efficient (or scientific) criteria, but always following the know-how of José, who never stops devising and implementing new forms and production protocols to “get better wines every year, but above all that convince me, that have something to say to me, that excite me… I have always wanted to give my wines two adjectives that were the common denominator: the freshness and kindness. To do this, we looked for lands that face more north, with a longer vegetative cycle, thanks to which the fruit expression of this Tempranillo grape, the queen variety, would be different and have many more nuances. With that purpose we were born. We knew that we had land with different soils, which produced grapes with a lot of character and personality,” he continues. He offers us one of the first bottles of vintage 23 while confessing that he is in love with this wine and this vintage, “for its minerality—which is like its soul—and for that red fruit that claims itself on the earth. It is wonderful to smell and taste the land of La Ribera»
“Since I was little I was in contact with the territory and the vine and that is why I made it my life,” says Moro, who wants to “capture and excite the younger generations, those without whom wine has no future” and to This gives all that “legacy of love for wine”, transmitted by his father, “believing in oneself and becoming passionate about his work every day” until forging an entire “dream life in wine.”
vintage workshop
The Harvest Workshop is just one of the many possibilities in Cepa 21’s wine tourism catalogue. It reflects Moro’s know-how and passion for the land and craft: «Wine tourism is an important pillar of our project. We want to bring our customers closer to our roots, to our land, to understand our philosophy and, every time they open a bottle of Cepa 21, to remember where it comes from. With this Harvest Workshop you have the opportunity to enjoy a day of harvesting; to touch, step on and feel our terroir and its excellent grapes. “In this day outdoors, a unique connection is established with the countryside, nature and the environment, which makes us aware of the important value that the natural environment has.”
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