This past weekend we celebrated the I Harvest Festival at our Raíces Ibéricas winery in Maluenda, an event that has kept us busy for many weeks because we have prepared it with a lot of love and we wanted everything to be perfect. And the result has been overwhelming.
Finally about a thousand people accompanied us. Next to nothing!
Our neighbors from Maluenda joined us, friends from nearby towns and also a delegation of guests from Belgium and the Netherlands , all of them wine personalities, who we wanted them to know first-hand about the winery, the vineyards, the beautiful surroundings of the region and the great potential of the DO Calatayud.
The party was also attended by authorities, such as the mayor of Maluenda, Carmen Herrero, the president of the DO Calatayud, Miguel Arenas, the deputy for Zaragoza, Víctor Ruiz and the mayor of Calatayud, José Manuel Aranda, whom we thank for dedicating their time to accompany us on such a special day.
One of the most emotional moments was the presentation of the Belgian wine personality award to our founder, Mark Schiettekat, from the hands of Baudouin Havaux, president of Vinopress and organizer of the Brussels World Competition. A recognition that reaffirms us on the path we are traveling, highlighting our roots and betting on excellence in each bottle.
Grape stomping contest, good music and beautiful graffiti
The festival featured a grape stomping contest in which four teams competed, Belgium, the Netherlands, the team of winery workers and the team made up of members of the Maluenda Neighborhood Association. The competition was very close, but finally our colleagues from Raíces Ibéricas were the winners by obtaining the largest volume of must. You don't know how much we laughed and how much fun the 24 participants had.
At the event we also presented the great graffiti that the Zaragoza artist Vera Galindo has captured on the historical deposits of our winery. His work is a celebration of what wine means to this land, the efforts of the winegrowers and the richness of our slate soils, which give Garnacha a unique character. We love the result and it has left the surroundings of the winery really beautiful. Thank you, Vera!
The afternoon was completed with a very lively concert by the group Puro Relajo, which made the atmosphere even more festive. Which is saying something!
In addition to the party, during the weekend we organized a unique experience for our international guests. We took them to our vineyards, where they could set foot on the terroir and experience first-hand the challenge of the harvest in the DO Calatayud. We closed this experience with a gala dinner in the winery, in which Aragonese gastronomy and our wines were the main protagonists.
The festival has given way to the harvest. The 2024 harvest is already underway and we are sure that it will give us a great vintage.
Thank you to everyone who was part of this special day. See you next year!