Julia Konstanzer, an oenologist licensed by the University of Vienna, has joined Bodegas El Paraguas for the elaboration, side by side, with the technical direction assumed by Felicísimo Pereira of the white wine that the Galician firm vinifies in Ferrol, in the province of A Coruña. The wine made with the clusters of the Blanco Legítimo variety from the vineyard that Bodegas El Paraguas cultivates in the parish of Esmelle – the northernmost of Spain – is the first time it is vinified in the facilities that the Galician firm has in the nearby parish from Cobas, also the Ferrol area.
This is the fifth vintage that Bodegas El Paraguas produces experimentally, after the successful steps previously taken in collaboration with the Xunta de Galicia, thanks to the immeasurable support of the Guísamo CFEA for four consecutive harvests, which gave their facilities for the first vinifications of Bodegas El Paraguas in the Esmelle vineyard.
In this 2019 harvest, under the baton of Konstanzer, Bodegas El Paraguas has opted for a selection of grapes grain by grain, stripping for eight hours in shifts of four people each cluster collected in the Ferrolana parish. Previously, the fruits of Blanco Legítimo went through a cold chamber for 40 hours before starting the meticulous process of selecting a wine that is fermenting with its skins.
Marcial Pita, co-owner of Bodegas El Paraguas with Felicísimo Pereira, has acknowledged feeling very fortunate for the pair of winemakers who materialize Ferrol’s first quality wine. “On Tuesday, Julia was finishing the harvest and making the family vineyards on her land, Burgenland, the most recognized wine growing area in Austria. On Wednesday he flew in the afternoon to Galicia and on Thursday, early in the morning, she was already supervising the fruit in the Esmelle vineyard. It is a different point of view from Felicísimo and I think that both winemakers gain something after this little project.”
