22 Oct Dominio de Berzal celebrates its 25th anniversary with a moving party at the winery
The Berzal brothers celebrated with more than 200 people the beginning of a ‘fulfilled dream’ in 1999.
On the 19th of October, Dominio de Berzal organised an emotional party to celebrate its 25th anniversary at its winery in Baños de Ebro.
Bodegas Dominio de Berzal is the dream of three brothers: José Luis, Juan Mari and Iñigo Berzal. Together they took over from their father, founding the current winery in 1999, located in Baños de Ebro (Álava), in the heart of Rioja Alavesa.
‘I keep my friends’.
One of the most emotional moments of the event was the speech with which the Berzal brothers wanted to start the party. Iñigo Berzal, the youngest of the three and the winemaker of the winery, acknowledged that he was very young when ‘my brothers got me involved in this venture that I thought was too big for us at the time and now it has almost become too small for us’.
A project that was born from the work they had done in a bodega in the centre of the village and which, in 1999, they took to a new, larger bodega. ‘We have gone from making two wines in 1999 to a total of eleven this year’, says Iñigo Berzal. A figure that shows the dimension of the ‘dream fulfilled’ by the three brothers during this first quarter of a century of life.
José Mari, the eldest of the brothers, took the floor to recall those uncertain times when ‘we made the best decision’. However, despite the bad times and difficult moments, José Mari is clear about it: ‘Throughout these 25 years, I will always remember the friends I have made selling wine; many of them are here today and I am very happy about that’. ‘These days I have been telling my wife that I will do something good, won’t I’, José Mari concluded emotionally.
The two brothers wanted to thank customers, suppliers and authorities for the road they have travelled. They did not forget the third fundamental pillar of Bodegas Dominio de Berzal. Juan Mari, who works together with his brothers to give meaning to a project with a past and a great future.
The event was attended by more than 200 guests including, among others, Noemí Aguirre, the deputy for Agriculture of the Provincial Council of Álava, and the municipal corporation of Baños de Ebro.
Gala wines
One of the highlights of last Saturday’s celebration was the range of wines with which Bodegas Dominio de Berzal wished to entertain its guests. There were four wines that mark the identity of these 25 years:
Dominio de Berzal Young White 2023
Dominio de Berzal Parcelas Garnacha 2021
Dominio de Berzal Crianza 2020
Dominio de Berzal Private Selection 2020
Emotional and festive atmosphere
With wines to match, the party took place in a simple, emotional and family atmosphere where laughter, hugs and fun spread throughout the winery.
Both the musical offer offered by the DJs Alberto Villa and Alberto Gabilán and the melodic duo Ari & Herrero as well as a quality gastronomic offer completed a memorable day. In addition, as a final surprise, chocolate truffles made with red wine from the winery itself were offered for dessert.
Memory, understanding and will
In addition to their union as a family, they share the same passion for wine, the land and its fruit. Innovative without losing their identity, they strive to improve every day, gathering the wisdom of the past, passed down from generation to generation. Traditions that have been shared in the family for more than a century.
The values that their ancestors have left them and that they now pass on are the result of a combination of memories, family anecdotes and inherited emotions. A legacy of commitment to authenticity, an essence that is palpable in each of their bottles. The result is daring wines with soul and extraordinary quality. They are distinguished by the selective nature of their production. Creativity and innovation do the rest. They are an honest, hard-working family with their soul on earth. They honour their past by working in the present with their eyes set on what the future holds.