My Memories of Wine

The autobiography of Spain's greatest wine expert.

The book you're holding is not just the author's memoirs. It is the account of an experienced observer who has witnessed the greatest revolution in the history of wine at a global level. Its pages serve as a pretext to tell the profound changes that have occurred from the late 1970s to the present day, a revolution that is still ongoing: changes in production, crafting, trade, communication, consumption, and even the aesthetics of wine. The most significant aspect of this new era is that wine has ceased to be a mere food product and has become a hedonistic and cultural object. These changes have mostly taken place over the past forty years, with technological advancements in wineries and vineyards, the birth of oenology as a science, when bottled wine stopped being the monopoly of Jerez and Rioja, and when wine stopped being a daily drink and became an occasional one, leading to new forms of drinking. New consumer and producer countries have emerged at the forefront, the promotion and projection of wine journalism, the battle of brands, the language of tastings, specialized wine fairs, and, above all, the birth of global wine.

By sheer coincidence, my work in wine began in 1975, and I have lived through this entire revolution firsthand. Someone suggested I tell this story—not chronologically, but from a sociological and cultural perspective. What seemed normal decades ago is now an exception due to the changes over time. As a wine traveler, speaking with and tasting wine with winemakers, oenologists, and viticulturists around the world, I have experienced countless anecdotes that I try to detail in this book. What wine has given me, I now return in these pages.