This week I was able to visit one of the top producers of one of Spain’s most prominemt products–wine. Campo Viejo is a popular wine-making company located in Rioja, Spain and is well known for the quality of their wine which they achieve by taking advantage of their unique location. Because of their location (altitude, humidity, climate, etc.) they’re able to make use of a variety of grapes, and hence produce many kinds of wine.
Tempranillo Grapes (The King of Grapes)
During the tour at Campo Viejo, we were invited into the cellar where they store the wines to allow them to mature for one year minimum (the right) and storage rooms where wine is held before being bottled or barreled (left) where the wine can also be mixed in small amounts.
Vianco Wine Museum
Reflection: By now I am well aware of how integral wine is in the Spanish community which has taken some getting used to. One of the biggest realizations that I have had here, that has allowed me to genuinely experience wine from a Spanish perspective as opposed to an American, is the purpose of wine. In Spain wine is not seen as a sole luxury product or a product used only for celebration but instead is product where its production is just as important as its consumption. Wine in Spain is used as a major contributor to Spain’s economy and also a cooking product, a product made to be understood and a product that you can find anywhere.
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