The president Fidel. And the mules that push for its Rioja

Not everyone can be called Fidel.

It’s if like the name can define someone very special, that stands out on this Rioja full of traditional cellars, flashy, classic, and some of the biggest stars of the Spanish wine world. We were strolling through Rioja and, obviously, made an appointment with the friend Fidel, he shows up in his very very old Audi A4, black, open windows, hotter inside than out, because when he lost his mind and bought that car, he couldn’t care less about air conditioner.

Fidel, when are you changing your car?

I don’t give a damn about any of that.

It is 35ºC out, but what Fidel cares about are the vineyards and the wines. We went to visit the great Luis Canas House, where he is the winemaker and works those classic Rioja wines, very traditional and emblematic. However, Luis Canas bought a new project, called Amaren, where Fidel wants to show his creativity and imagination.  At Amaren, my friend Fidel, wants to express the very old vines, that stubbornly resist the difficult climate conditions. And that is what we came to taste, terroir wines, aged in different origin wood, or of different sizes, or in concrete tanks or toneis, all different experiences, but all of them respecting the product, the so dear Tempranillo, sacred around here.

The tasting kicked our asses. We were tasting new wines, which in Rioja is almost a sin. The tannins hurt our palates. They lack years and years of ageing both in oak and in bottle. Because a Rioja wine shouldn’t be taken in a rush. Especially with Fidel. Fidel was born around here, he has gipsy roots, but is attached to the land. His family always owned vineyards and his favourite is one his grandfather used to own, and that now is recovering under his hands as a personal project, and as if it is his biggest treasure. That’s where the money goes instead of buying a new car.  And that’s where we go next.

On arrival we don’t find any tractor or machinery. What we see is a mule and a plod, opening the grounds of the old vineyard, some 80 years old of thick vines stuck to the ground, recuperated in the most traditional of the ways without the help of the wires we see around Portugal.

Diogo, here no machine comes in!

The mule is not stubbornness. A wine can also be this, pure passion. It is also these details that push a wine and a region. Being it in a grander way or a smaller dimension, like the one of Fidel, in Rioja we are in place where detail is king.

When we get back to the dinning table, Fidel opens some of his first bottles, these ready to be consumed. Focused on reds, all Tempranillo, but a Rioja with a different profile, a fresher version. The classical side of these wines comes from the long aging period in American oak, but Fidel knows how to keep its fruit and elegance. I like it. We are at Rioja Alavessa. The mountains are around us on all sides. Our fancy watches tell us we are between 600 and 800m above sea level. And suddenly all makes sense…

Side by side with Fidel, in this cooler area with more balanced wines, it’s where I feel home. This is the Rioja that inspires me the most. Thank you Fidel.