Secretary of the CECRV
Architectural and monumental wine production. Ribeira Sacra
Where the fierce Atlantic storms beat against the rocky prow of an old, static ship called Galicia, that pours water constantly from its wounds; Where the trees loom tall and elegant, festooned with dripping green lichen; where the witches hide, concocting magic potions; where the wine production becomes an architectural feat and adorns the canyons of the river Sil, this is where the Conferencia Española de Consejos Reguladores VitivinÃcolas- CECRV (the Conference of Spanish Wine Regulatory Bodies) held its spring Assembly.
When there is a major crisis in the market, of consumption, of values, of regulatory changes, of uses, of customs, perhaps this is the time to retrace one´s steps and realise that thousands of years after vineyards were created in the canyons of the Sil, they continue to have a value which gives us the strength to combat our immediate future.
Wine production can be geometric, linear, polygonal, spherical, pentagonal, quadrangular, rectangular; it can be arithmetic, mathematic, geographic, musical, festive,..... but architectural??
There is only one place that it is architectural and monumental: the Ribeira Sacra. A wine production that is spatial, formed, balanced, aesthetic, beautiful, captivating, humble, grandiose, fascinating. Rich, challenging, flirtatious and daring, serious, touching and showy, especially showy, friendly and emotional. It is no oddity that it takes refuge, hidden on the banks of the Sil but it reveals itself, once it is discovered by travellers passing through, who travel along the waters at the heart of the Ribeira Sacra, looking for the warm welcome of its people, the aroma of its wines, the simple riches of its food.
Within this framework of ancestry and always guided by what is classic and up-to-date, the quality wines of this country are saying to the market: what greatness, what riches without compare have the wines of Spain. A place of natural contrast, of altitude, of lowlands, of micro climates, of sun, of rain, of people and vine varieties and climates. There is nowhere else like this on the planet. The system regenerates itself. The greatness is almost always due to the simplicity, the genuineness, the mode and method of production, without squandering nature´s gifts. Only following a path that ensures a marriage and balance between humankind and nature.