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My first article

While toying with the idea of what to write that might be impacting, I decided to do the best thing one could do. Be real! This reflection, though the first of many, will share what moved me to write about this journey to discover the Wines of Murcia.

First and foremost, I would like to say that I am a complete novice, who started on this journey four years ago. The passion was ignited by another Jose Luis, who will usually be referred to in my writings as ̈Chech ̈. In a simple conversation regarding our likes and dislikes, his passion for wine was transmitted to me immediately. Chech opened my eyes to an entire new world and created an opportunity of a lifetime.

Como he dicho varias veces en mi página de Instagram, Wines of Murcia, nunca me interesó el alcohol porque con frecuencia fui testigo de su abuso mientras crecía. Como adulto, tuve un par de copas aquí y allá durante las funciones sociales, pero no fue hasta que comencé a viajar por Europa y cuando finalmente me mudé a España cuando vi las cosas a través de una lente diferente. Vi que el vino era un componente importante de la mayoría de las reuniones sociales. Como observé en el desarrollo de todos estos encuentros, vi que el vino jugaba un papel protagonista y era una parte crucial de cada evento.

I recall one of my first trips to a winery in Murcia, my new hometown. Though I had been on wine tours prior to living in Spain, this one was different. When visiting Sonoma, Napa and a couple of vineyards in Upstate NY, I didn ́t feel what I felt here.

Out of the 39 wineries that we have in the region, Viña Elena was one of the first ones I visited. I remember that I didn ́t even taste anything during my first visit. It turns out that on the day of the wine tour, I had come down with a massive headache but, because I didn ́t want to let my friends down, I tagged along. As soon as I arrived to the winery, I sat down on a coach next to the wine tasting room and passed out. I told my friends to enjoy their time and to come for me when they finished.

Prior to starting the wine tasting, a young fellow, who would eventually become like a brother to me, a wine coach, a friend and pillar of inspiration, was concerned and came to check on me. Fernando Pacheco, the International Export Manager and nephew of renowned winemaker, Elena Pacheco, approached me to ask me if there was something he could do for me and was genuinely concerned. His hospitality and professionalism gave me the confidence of feeling as if I were among family. So much so, that I have been to this winery more than ten times and love to see how it keeps growing.

El vino es vida. Cuando pisas un viñedo y ves cómo los viñedos se adaptan a su entorno, a menudo siendo testigos de hasta dónde tienen que llegar las raíces para nutrirse y dar fruto o cómo las vides sobreviven en los diversos tipos de climas o cómo los vides tienen que resistir enfermedades o condiciones extremas, etc. Se puede hacer una comparativa entre el proceso anual de crecimiento las uvas con los desafíos a los que nos enfrentamos en nuestra vida diaria. Una vez que los viñedos dan sus frutos, hay otro proceso de maduración que tiene que ocurrir. Durante el proceso de maduración, se implementan una serie de componentes de control de calidad para que el vino pueda alcanzar su máximo potencial. El enólogo monitoriza continuamente el vino para asegurarse que las características y prestaciones son de la máxima calidad, representan a la firma y consiguen los objetivos previstos desde el principio.

If you haven ́t seen the correlation between wine and life, you will have to come to Murcia to experience it for yourself.

Aprovecho para agradecer a Bodegas Viña Elena (IG: @bodegasvinaelena) y Fernando Pacheco (IG: @f3r_pacheco) por iniciar una experiencia tan positiva en mi camino de dando vida a los Vinos de Murcia.

Thanks,
 
 
Wines of Murcia

Murcian wines must be known in the world