The Wine Love, Gran Cerdo Blanco 2019

Gonzalo Gonzalo's love story with wine started like so many others have done so before. Born in Logro�o, Spain, he grew up among his parents vineyards' in Fuenmayor, Rioja Alta. Following the family tradition, he studied oenology at the university of Rioja before completing his oenologist training in a big industrial winery. The first turning point for Gonzalo came, however, when he went off travelling through France and Italy where he met small vine-growers and winemakers whose natural winemaking practices were about to change his life. Returning from his travels he left a commercial winemaking career behind to set up his own estate. Respect to the land and natural winemaking were at the heart of the estate's philosophy from day one. The second major turning point in Gonzalo�s journey towards sustainable viticulture and winemaking was the illness of his father, caused by years of daily exposure to chemical fertilizers and herbicides while tending their vineyards in the 1970s. This influenced him profoundly and spurred him on to fight the battle his father had lost. His first objective was to restore the biodiversity in the vineyard lost due to chemical treatment. Rejecting modern chemical treatment, Gonzalo has instead sought out his own methods with respect for the land, his vineyards, and the traditions of his forefathers. In the weeks prior to the bottling of Gran Cerdo's first vintage, young Gonzalo naively approached the local bank for some financial help to launch the new wine. To his surprise the application was declined on the basis that �wine is not a seizable asset�. Gonzalo eventually managed to launch the wine without the bank's support but did not forget. Ironically named Gran Cerdo (�big pig� in Spanish). Gonzalo�s colleague Mar Mota comes from a family of artisan cask makers and studied oenology and chemistry in the University of La Rioja. A firm believer in biodynamic winemaking, Mar Mota teams with Gonzalo to make some of the best natural wine that comes out of Spain.