5 questions to... Head winemaker Mercedes García Rupérez

Busy times for head winemaker Mercedes García Rupérez in Spain, but WINELIFE got the chance to talk to her. Mercedes has been dedicated to Bodegas Montecillo for more than 10 years and knows all the secrets of Rioja and the wines from this region of origin. -TEXT MARJOLEIN SCHUMAN | IMAGE JAMES STURCKE

5 questions to... Head winemaker Mercedes García Rupérez

IN WINTER, THE VINES REST. WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN ACTIVITIES NOW?

'On the technical side of winemaking: systematic checks in our bottle cellars and on each batch of barrels, because barrel maturation and bottle aging are processes to which we pay a lot of attention at Montecillo. On the other hand, we prepare the wines for bottling: we remove them from the barrels, taste, blend, purify, filter and so on. These are all continuous tasks during the months when we are not harvesting. There is also time now for other components that are important for winemaking. For instance, the barrels and corks are checked, selected and approved.'

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL RIOJA WINE EXPRESS?

'Rioja is a small region in terms of area, but fortunately very rich and complex due to its soil characteristics and sub-climates. And because of the broad know-how created by centuries of tradition and mastery. This allows us to make a wide variety of wines. Now even more so with the new possibilities in our wine legislation of Vinos de Parcela (wines from individual parcels), village wines, and Viñedos Singulares (single-vineyard wines, from individual vineyards). There is room for them all, but I think one characteristic is common within their uniqueness: elegance.'

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