It is far better to travel to a winery for a tour, and crucially, a tasting, with somebody else driving! The more so, when the winery is as generous in terms of numbers of wines to be tasted and the amounts poured! Therefore, and please take note if you are in the area, I’ll be doing this again!
It was really the ‘appearance’ of Pepe, award winning winemaker, and eldest son of the founder, Enrique Mendoza, on my radio programme recently that was the catalyst of my visit to Bodegas Enrique Mendoza. Pepe was such an animated and passionate guest who clearly enjoyed his two hours of broadcasting fame, that his enthusiasm was really quite contagious.
When our mixed nationality group of intrepid travellers (well, not that intrepid, it was only down the road!) arrived we were met, in perfect English, by tour guide, Marta, who during the course of the visit was elevated, in my book, to be one of the best in the business – and in twenty years, I’ve worked with many.
Marta explained that, following local farming tradition, Enrique Mendoza decided to give a ‘plot’ (all the best stories . . . , are you following?!) of land to his first born, Pepe in fact. Having always been interested in grapes and the family wine, Pepe elected to plant vines. Soon, the family had 2,000 litres of wine to keep them going. And, when second son also planted vines, well, there was more than enough to give to friends also.
