Unveiling María Vargas, Technical Director of Marqués de Murrieta

Passion, rigor, and plenty of patience. For Maria Vargas, the most important thing is to listen to the wine and give it the necessary time to show its potential. And she proves it in each of her works. Cellar-aged wines that are true works of art and imbue the Marqués de Murrieta brand with international recognition. It's a real luxury to be able to interview her.

- Daughter of Haro, vineyard and winery are in your DNA, but who has been the figure that has influenced you the most when it comes to loving wine? What do you take from their person and work?
Without a doubt, my father; he studied oenology, and although he never practiced as an oenologist, there was always interest and respect for wine at home, so wine became a very natural part of my life. From him, I take his innate intelligence, his tireless capacity for improvement and innovation, and the respect for the vineyard and wine, regardless of trends and fashions.

- When you are young, not everyone is clear about what they will do when they grow up. In your case, you studied agricultural engineering and later oenology. Was it a decision made from the beginning, or as you learned, did you discover that wine was your thing?
I love animals, and my first idea was to study Veterinary Medicine, although I was also very interested in Agricultural Engineering, and finally, I opted for it. As I progressed in my studies and explored the different options that engineering offered me, I focused on the world of oenology because of its complexity and the ability to value any work both in the vineyard and in the winery over the years.

 - After finishing your degree, you did your internships at Marqués de Murrieta, and this is where you have built your career. Did you imagine then that you would end up being one of the key figures in one of the Rioja wineries with the most international projection?
Indeed, I had the immense fortune to join Marqués de Murrieta at 23 years old to do my oenology internships. The first few years I spent working, I enjoyed and learned a lot, but as you can imagine, I was very young, and I never even thought that one day I would be the technical director of a winery with such a overwhelming historical trajectory. In fact, I was so happy working in the team that when Vicente Cebrián-Sagarriga proposed me to be the Technical Director in 2000, I initially rejected it! I can only be grateful that he trusted me; I have been lucky to grow personally and professionally alongside Vicente and Cristina Cebrián-Sagarriga and build this project together.

- Learning from a winery that has its style very well marked must be quite a luxury. But for the same reason, proposing changes must be quite a challenge. How do you update yourself without being disruptive?
The pursuit of excellence is implicit in the DNA of Marqués de Murrieta, so every step taken, every decision made, is in this direction and also very thoughtful. I believe that working in a historic winery implies an extra responsibility because we are guardians of a legacy of over 170 years of history that we have the obligation to improve and transmit. Updates must be made looking to the future but always keeping in mind where we come from; what we are today is the result of know-how acquired over decades, and we have the obligation to establish a solid foundation for the Marqués de Murrieta of the future. I believe in evolution, but not in drastic changes. It is always important to bear in mind that we are working with nature, and it is constantly changing.

- Rioja is experiencing a resurgence thanks to a generational change that brings different perspectives and a avant-garde twist to the classic Riojan elaborations. So much so, that the prestigious publication "The Wine Advocate" has said of Rioja that it is the most dynamic Spanish wine region today. What are the most interesting trends you currently observe in Rioja wine production? Do you put them into practice in your work?
I believe that Rioja is producing the best wines in its history; the plurality at all levels that this region offers is unique. There is a new generation of winemakers with very attractive projects. The new trends seem interesting to me; the diversity is fantastic, but it is important to bear in mind that wine has soul and does not fit into the world of fads, it goes much further, it is more transcendental than any other product, and for me, trends only have a place, understood from the perspective of quality.

- Best Winemaker in the World by the Women's Wine & Spirits Awards, 100 points Parker to Castillo Ygay Blanco 1986, best wine in the world Castillo Ygay Tinto 2010 by Wine Spectator, and even, you have obtained the highest personal distinction as Illustrious Riojan, granted by your Autonomous Community... The recognitions in your career are numerous, what do you think is the secret to your success?
I would say passion for what I do, but none of this would be possible without being surrounded by a great team; all these recognitions we receive them as confirmation that we are doing a good job and it encourages us to continue working hard day by day.

 - We know that it may sound like a cliché to enter into this kind of topics, but every day there are more women working in different areas within the wine industry, many of them as winemakers producing great wines. What do you think this fortunate change means for the wine industry and for consumers? Do you think we still have a long way to go to achieve parity?
The wine sector has traditionally been male-dominated, like many other sectors. The fact that more and more women have joined is nothing more than a reflection of the evolution of women's incorporation into the labor market in recent decades. Of course, it is something positive, but parity does not obsess me; I believe that, ultimately, what needs to be facilitated is that everyone has the freedom to dedicate themselves to what they are passionate about, without any obstacles.

- What is it about the DOCa. Rioja that makes it an ideal region for producing high-quality wines?
Rioja is a "blessed" region, it has everything to produce quality wines. A perfect combination of climate and soil, together with a viticultural, cultural, and historical heritage, makes it a perfect habitat for the vine. My main objective as a winemaker is to try to make the best possible use of everything that this privileged environment, which is our Finca Ygay, offers us.

- Also, Technical Director at Pazo de Barrantes, the project that Marqués de Murrieta has in Rías Baixas (Galicia), the albariño and the terroir are expressed in a sublime way in your aged wines. What does the Valle del Salnés have that everyone loves?
Being from Rioja, I have had to learn to listen to the variety; Albariño is a variety with a lot of personality, which sets its own rhythms, but if you know how to understand it and give it the time and tranquility it requires, it rewards you with absolutely unique aged wines that express the singularity of its soils and are capable of combining delicacy and finesse with vigor and complexity. The Valle del Salnés is the perfect setting for the variety to enjoy a slow and staggered ripening and express all its potential.

- Of all the wines you produce, do you have one that is "the apple of your eye"? Is it also the one that has caused you the most headaches?
Ugh... it's very difficult to answer this question, but if I have to tell you one, it would probably be Castillo Ygay for everything it represents, because it was the wine that made me rethink everything I had learned in university and because it is the culmination of a historical, cultural, and human evolution.

- You have practically developed your entire professional life at Marqués de Murrieta, but would you like to make your own wine? Where and how would it be?
It's not something I've considered, I consider myself privileged to have a vineyard and a winery that would be any winemaker's dream.

- Although your passion is wine, you surely have outlets that even serve as inspiration. What do you dedicate your free time to?
Although it may seem strange, my main hobby is wine, and I dedicate a lot of my free time to it; I love traveling and discovering different regions and landscapes and, ultimately, learning about different wine cultures.

- Finally, could you share with us the last wine you tried and that was a real crush for you and why?
In general, I find the wines being produced in Galicia, both white and red, very interesting, and as for Marqués de Murrieta, I have to tell you that I am absolutely fascinated by the character of our upcoming Dalmau and the expectations surrounding the upcoming Castillo Ygay, which are currently aging in bottle.