Blog
A vigneron in the marco de Jerez
From the sky and biodynamics, to the land of albariza and traditional viticulture.
I am Alejandro Muchada, a pretender to vigneron in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, in the Muchada-Léclapart project, together with my teacher and reference David Léclapart. This blog arises from the desire to share some of my reflections and anecdotes from this experience, in which many friends and vine-growers from the old school of Sanlúcar nurture me, such as Juan Peregrino and Juan Morales, as well as working side by side with David.
I do not intend to teach or generate academic knowledge. I prefer to move in the language of the symbolic and the experiential, to help us find the valuable inspiration and motivation to open new paths in the viticulture and viniculture of Marco de Jerez. I like to think that tradition and innovation go hand in hand in an equation where feeling, patience, humility, respect and ancestral wisdom are aligned to sow precious seeds and generate sublime fruits.
Goethean observation and the return to the origins of biodynamic agriculture
Rudolf Steiner, father of biodynamic agriculture, worked for several years at the Johan Goethe Archive in Weimar, studying his scientific writings, which had not been analyzed as a whole. Goethe is the great German writer, the “German Cervantes”, however, he also...
The metamorphosis of plants
In 2022, the Atalanta publishing house published in Spain the precious and delicate work of Professor Gordon I. Miller, from Seattle University, who has republished “The Metamorphosis of Plants”, a work by the German philosopher and writer Goethe (with wonderful...
The traditional Pruning of Marco de Jerez: rod and thumb “Vara y Pulgar”. Three centuries of history
They say that the traditional pruning of Marco de Jerez, called “Vara y pulgar”, is like a simple “Guyot”; However, it would be correct to say it the other way around: Guyot pruning is like “Vara y pulgar” pruning, since the documentary records are much earlier....
About the Palomino grape
I don't know at what point the Palomino grape was reviled. I guess it was in the 70s when chemicals and tractors entered the vineyards of Marco de Jerez. This caused the production per hectare to triple -because the Palomino is a variety that can become very...
2011-2021 Ten years of a meeting between Jerez and Champagne
This year we have completed 10 years since David Léclapart and I met. It was on a trip - which I consider initiatory - through France. I did not know anything about the world of wine or biodynamic agriculture. At that time I was in the middle of writing my doctoral...
The three dimensions of the Marco de Jerez wine
Until very recently, they only talked about the wineries in the Marco de Jerez. The uniqueness of the criaderas and soleras system, and the complexity of the biological (under flower veil) and oxidative breeding methods, allowed it. The Marco de Jerez wineries have...
The search for beauty
I love telling this anecdote, because I think it symbolizes very well the figure of the “vigneron” that I learn with David. –Vigneron- would be translated into Spanish as a viticulturist; however, in French it has another symbolic meaning. In the world of French wine,...
Why old vines
When we started looking for plots where we could apply biodynamic agriculture and make our dry white wines, we were clear that we wanted to find old palomino vines. The main reason is that the old palomino vines are of mass selection; that is: they did not come from...
The vineyard treatments as messages
I like to think of vineyard treatments as messages that we send to the vines. Biodynamic agriculture itself limits the use of minerals such as copper or sulfur enormously compared to conventional agriculture: possibly to a tenth of it. Conventional winegrowers...
The three principles of the winery: Cleaning, cleaning and cleaning
The three basic principles of good work in the winery are cleanliness, cleanliness and cleanliness. David is strict about very few things, and cleanliness is one of them. When you work with minimal sulfur in the cellar, and you do not want to intervene in anything,...