The Valencian Association of Winemakers appoints Rodolfo Valiente, Director of Vegalfaro Viñedos & Bodegas, ‘Winemaker of the Year’
The official appointment of ‘Winemaker of the Year’ to the winemaker Rodolfo Valiente was the final culmination of the assembly of the Valencian Association of Winemakers (AVE), an organization headed by Juan Clemente, which brings together about 200 professionals. The ceremony, held last Friday, March 31, at the headquarters of the Regulatory Council of the DOP Valencia, also paid tribute to two of the parents of modern enology of the Region of Valencia, Félix Cuartero and José Vicente Guillém.
Rodolfo Valiente García is a lawyer by profession and an oenologist by devotion. He left his primary professional activity to dedicate entirely to enology in the family winery when in 1999 they had decided to elaborate the wines of their own grapes. Since then, Valiente has been at the forefront of the development of the personal style of winery´s brands that are now already emblematic. All the wines are certified as Organic by the European Union. The winery has three Denominations of Origin: the DOP Pago Los Balagueses; The DOP Utiel-Requena, with Caprasia and Rebel·lia; And DO Cava, with Vegalfaro Brut Nature.
The wine maker Rodolfo Valiente with his father, Andrés, and his family
For Rodolfo Valiente, winning of this award “represents the satisfaction of a work recognized by my colleagues,” and had a few words to thank his father, Andrés Valiente, initiator of the project, and to his family, “for the support I receive from them every day .”
The success of the wines of Bodegas Vegalfaro is due to their quality, but to a large extent also to the dynamic personality of Rodolfo Valiente who has never stopped experimenting, updating the wine range and innovating. The example is Caprasia Bobal, matured in terracotta amphoraes, of a smaller size than the traditional “tinajas” and with a much narrower mouth. Or the new range of wines made with no added sulfites, named as Vegalfaro “funky” wines. Rodolfo experimented with the varietals such as Crujidera (Moravia Dulce), Malbec or Nebbiolo. These, moreover, were elaborated without clarifying or filtering and have the certificate of “Vegan,” that currently attracts more and more wine lovers.
The day, ultimately, when there was recognized the work of a generation, thanks to which had started another one. It knew how to continue the path and still has much more to say.