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ValduEro’s PErsonalizEd winEs
La Tenada: become a member and have your own wine
Your own bottle of wine is no longer a dream but a potential reality
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Juan A. Hernández and Madison Choudhry, The Weekly Journal
If it is true that the more you love something, the more you speak of it, then it would seem the world is madly in love with wine.
When it comes to the number of proverbs pertaining to wine they seem to outnumber the bottles themselves. The poet Rumi once exalted: “Either give me more wine or leave me alone.” On his part, philosopher Paul Tillich surmised, “Wine is like the incarnation –it is both divine and human”. Those who claim to love wine speak of it with the same language one may reserve for a lover or a cherished idol. Too many it is more than a drink… it is an experience. And, it is this experience, this personal connection, what drives many to the wine industry.
Nevertheless, while alluring, the time, money, and the all-around know-how required to build a winery is a daunting task. With such dismal prospects many dismiss their dream of creating their own wine even before they start. But, do not despair would be wine entrepreneurs of the world. A unique solution has emerged.
La Enoteca, a spirit disruptor in San Juan, has teamed up with Spanish wine maker
Bodegas Valduero to offer budding wine entrepreneurs a novel opportunity. The fortuity emerges as an exclusive membership to Bodegas Valduero’s La Tenada, a venture in which members acquire a wine barrel, holding approximately 300 bottles of 750mL each, of one of Valduero’s wines, and the possibility to customize the bottles’ label at will.
Your own personal wine
For many, the possibility of having their own bottle of wine may had been a faraway dream. But with La Tenada membership that dream becomes a reality.
“This is an initiative that allows you to enjoy wine at the same level as professionals, sommeliers and importers. Here there are no pretensions, because the club can be for anyone, the only thing that is required is to have a love for wine, and a desire to discover,” said Bodegas Valduero representative Alfonso González. Members’ bottles are personalized with a strip on their lower half with his own logo, or a word or phrase of
In fact, their choosing. Members may also sign the lid of their barrel, which will then be hanged on the cave along with those Members’ bottles of renown American writer are personalized Ken Follet, Spanish fashion with a strip on their designer Agatha Ruiz de la lower half with his Prada, soccer star Cristiano own logo, or a word Ronaldo and world renown or phrase of their tenor Plácido Domingo, among choosing. others. La Tenada has only 175 members, so far, five of which are from Puerto Rico. As for the wines, each person can choose the one he or she prefers, starting with a base wine from a 100% “tempranillo” grape, and up to prized wines valued with over 95 points in international competitions. “The owner of a barrel is given the full experience, from visiting the Valduero vineyard, where his/her wine is cultivated, to seeing the complete elaboration process, culminating with the final product: your own wine,” Ballester Hermanos
Alfonso González, Bodegas Valduero
wine specialist Pedro Riollano explained.
The membership includes invitations for 20 people, with 20 wine tastings and meals at the winery’s restaurant. The member could opt for a one time experience accompanied a group of friends and family, or visit several times during his membership, depending on his preference. Also, members could decide to offer the some of the visits to family and friends as a gift. “This opportunity offers our customers an exclusive experience, which goes beyond the wine in the glass. La Tenada membership achieves an unparalleled connection between the wine and the aficionado. It is much more than a club, it is being part of a unique land that offers its best with each grape,” said Juan A. Riollano, manager of La Enoteca.
