Last summer a group of scouts from Rosières (Belgium) has come to Bierzo to know what I am doing in vineyards, cellar and Landscape. It was a lovely experience that I still remember with love.
What’s your Dream? In my vineyard, I do not use synthetic fungicides, herbicides or mineral fertilisers. This encourages sustainability, biodiversity and natural balance. My dream was to develop farming methods that would contribute to the production of healthy foods. Spring 2023 in Bierzo was wet and rainy and I have to work harder than other years.
My project is based on regenerative agriculture trying to restore the natural fertility of the soils, feed the food network, increase organic matter and fix carbon. At the same time, the accumulation of organic carbon in vineyard soils will make them healthier, increasing their resilience. This will also encourage biodiversity, creating a balanced ecosystem that benefits the vineyard too.
Life in our lives
The more life exists in the soils, the greater their capacity to draw CO2 from the atmosphere, and better possibility for the plants to develop their roots. That is the best way to let the grapes express the unique characteristics of the place, the soil and its microclimate.
The vines that grow in a living soil, free of chemical residues, drawing optimum levels of minerals from the soil, becoming stronger with better natural resistance to disease. These vines will produce fruit for years to come. These are the values that I want to transmit to new generation.
Unité de Rosières à Bierzo
A group of young people from Rosières came to Bierzo last summer. They were 18 years old people and I wanted to share with them a lot of things about my wine and life. But what I didn’t know is that they were going to share a lot of things with me that I had forgotten long time ago. We spent time in the vineyards, we had also worked in cellar bottleling and labelling, we visited another wineries, monuments, another cities, we spent time in Villafranca river beach having lunch and taking a bath in the river to cool off.
They were intense days with a lot of youth and pure vibrations. Lots of lively feelings that woke up some dreams missed.
What’s your dream?
Scouts are guided by these values: Integrity, Respect, Care, Belief and Co-operation. I felt as one of them, and this was really great. But suddenly something happened that hit me in my mind, something that made me feel stupid.
We shared our time, our work and our passion. Edouard, one of guys in the group and a promising actor, made me an easy question: «Nacho, what’s your dream?». I couldn’t answer, I can’t remember the last time I dreamt.
A dream that flied away
In that moment, I realised that Demencia is a dream that flied away. Dreaming is the essence of life and youthfulness. Am I already an adult? Did I forget what are my dreams?
“Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”
Franz Kafka
This question helped me to remember that dreaming is indispensable. Demencia as dream come true, to create beauty in Bierzo and enjoy it. That will help me to never grow old. It’s the way for being happy in my land, sharing happiness with my neighbors. I want to spawn a vineyard paradise in Villafranca del Bierzo that give us a lovely wine that makes us better. A small piece of land integrated in Nature and human friendly will give us joyful making a better world.