PRESS RELEASE - JUNE 2010
The Control Board recognises the great contribution made by three ‘Illustrious Rioja Wine Personalities’: Pedro López Heredia, Ezequiel García and Gonzalo Ortiz
On Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 June, the historic city of Nájera dressed in wine to welcome the second edition of ‘Caminos del Rioja’, the great Rioja Wine Feast, and the ‘Tribute to Illustrious Rioja Wine Personalities’ honouring three key figures in the history of the D. O. Calificada Rioja: Pedro López de Heredia, third generation of Bodegas López de Heredia, one of the pioneering, wineries in Rioja, now over a hundred years old; Gonzalo Ortiz Peña, an oenologist whose professional career spans over fifty years in various Riojan wineries, and Ezequiel García Martínez, another of Rioja’s —and Spain’s— great, historic oenologists. Three individuals whose work, perseverance and professional vision have contributed to reinforce the leadership of Rioja Wine in Spain and across the world.
The initiative was jointly organised by the Control Board of the D.O.Ca. Rioja and the themed portal “lomejordelvinoderioja.com”, with the collaboration of the Nájera Town Council, while the Monastery of Santa María la Real provided the venue for the moving institutional event paying homage to these ‘Illustrious Rioja Wine Personalities’. Both the president of the Government of La Rioja, Pedro Sanz, and the president of the D.O.Ca. Rioja, Víctor Pascual, publicly recognised the three awardees and thanked them for their hard work and dedication to Rioja Wine, stating that, without these three wine professionals, Rioja would not be what it is today.
In his speech, Víctor Pascual said that “for the Control Board and particularly for me personally, it is a source of pride to be able to recognise these Rioja Wine personalities who are an example of what the human factor, those people who work in the sector, have meant for the historical development of our wine region, for its current splendour and for what I am sure will be its bright future. I particularly wish to highlight the commitment dedicated to the development of our model wine region by these three great personalities. A commitment that has turned them into key figures during the process of originating and consolidating one of the fundamental pillars of this model: quality. They are more representative than any others of enterprise, innovation and know-how within the framework of the tradition and differentiation of our wines. A commitment that made Pedro and Ezequiel serve on the Control Board plenary in the 1970s and 80s, actively participating in building the foundations of our current Designation.”
