Paco Garcia

Outside of Logroño, in Murillo, Spain, is a young wine maker who had a new idea. Juan Bautista is the wine maker for Paco Garcia, a family owned bodega in Rioja that produces wine for a more modern audience but is nevertheless something special.

Paco Garcia is located on 40 hectares situated between the Río Leza and the Río Jubera. The soil is mostly composed of limestone and clay. A perfect place for a vineyard! The winery was started in 2000 by Juan Bautista’s parents, Francisco Garcia and Julia Pablo and his older brother, Francisco. The land was originally purchased for the vines and the grapes were sold to other wineries but the family had always wanted to make a wine under their own name. During this time an unexpected drop in grape prices in Rioja caused the price to fall drastically from 3€/kilogram to 0.50€/kilogram. As a result, the family decided to take a risk and pursue the dream of producing their own wine. The following spring, they began building the winery and had their first harvest the following fall season.

Juan Bautista began studying agricultural engineering while Juan’s brother Francisco and his parents worked in the winery until the end of 2001, when Francisco died tragically in an auto accident. Juan quit his studies and returned to help the family with the winery. By 2008 Juan began to notice a decline in the popularity of wine among his friends and other young people. After careful consideration, Juan decided to create a wine that would be well made and enjoyed by both wine connoisseurs and novices alike. Juan and his wife Ana decided to change the direction of Paco Garcia, much to the dismay of Juan’s father who originally thought the idea was too radical and didn't fit within their winemaking traditions. But because of Juan's courage and perseverance, he and Ana have made Paco Garcia what it is today. As an homage to the family's past, the wine label has a dark handprint representing the stained hands after a hard day of work in the vineyard. It is a tribute to Juan’s father Francisco (Paco for short), and Juan’s brother, Francisco (Paco) and is a symbol of his respect for what they have achieved as a family.

The grapes at Paco Garcia are carefully harvested by hand. Following the harvest, the grapes are hand selected and macerated in a temperature controlled environment. This process is an added step that controls the quality of the grapes, and improves the quality of the wine. The pre-fermentation phase also preserves both the freshness and the color of the grape’s juice and is done before the wine goes through its alcoholic fermentation process. The wine is left in contact with the skins and grape pulp (called lees) to extract extra flavor and depth, before the wine goes through a malolactic fermentation. Malolactic fermentation is a process in winemaking where the naturally occurring (and tart tasting) malic acid is converted into a softer lactic acid. This gives the wine more of a desirable feeling in the mouth. After all of these steps the wine is aged in French oak barrels until it is ready to be bottled and eventually released to you, the consumer. The very, very happy consumer!