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Last night I was at the presentation of Alejandro Muchada‘s new book Viñadores: Hijos de la tierra y del vino (Vinegrowers: Children of the land and of wine, organised by De La Tierra and appropriately held at Lama La Uva.

Ale Muchada is co-owner and winemaker at Muchada-Léclapart, along with famed champagne producer David Léclapart. I have been wanting to visit this bodega since I first heard about it but, as it’s outside Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and I haven’t managed to get back there since (gasp!) 2017. Part of that is due to the very poor public transport options from Sevilla. Just over an hour by car it’s either 2.5 hours by (vomity) bus or one can take the train to Jerez (1 hour) and then transfer to a shorter bus route (45 mins) to Sanlúcar. Still not ideal.

But I digress! I got to meet Alejandro at Vinoble earlier this year and he said if I could make it to Sanlúcar he’d come and pick me up there to visit the vineyard and bodega. So kind. Of course since then I can no longer walk and, since that also means I can’t work, I have no money to travel anyhow. Maybe next year?

Oops, digressing again! So last week I received an invitation from Hiniesta at De La Tierra to attend the presentation and then Ale got in touch on Instagram to make sure I was coming. All of this is to say how much I love people involved with sherry, and really with Spanish wines and wineries in general. I have no experience with wineries outside of Spain but here people tend to be not only very passionate about what they do but they are also very generous with their time and knowledge. It was a lovely evening seeing Ale again and also catching up with a few others I hadn’t seen in a while.

Viñadores: Hijos de la tierra y del vino
Author: Alejandro Muchado
Illustrator: Ismael Pinteño

Through brief and profound texts, accompanied by illustrations full of light, Alejandro Muchada shares in Viñadores his particular vision of the profession and the human and professional value that he gives to this figure of artisanal viticulture. In a very simple and accessible way for all audiences, Muchada – himself an aspiring winemaker in Sanlúcar de Barrameda – tells us the little secrets of winemaking carried out by those who work their own vineyards. Ismael Pinteño, illustrator of the work, has been able to perfectly translate the author’s original sketches, transmitting his love and respect for the profession. The root is found in the old-school winegrower, from whom the winemaker takes ancestral knowledge, technical knowledge and respect for the rhythms of nature. With this legacy, he takes a step forward to make a wine full of vibrations, which elegantly and sensitively transmits his effort in the vineyard and his art in the winery.