[Interview] 'Wine Embracing Time'... The Winery Chairman Who Raised It as a Spanish National Treasure

Pablo Alvarez, Chairman of Tempos Vega Sicilia Group
Vega Sicilia, the Creator of Spain's National Winery
Challenging White Wine with 'Albari?o' in R?as Baixas
Wine Changes Over Time... Actively Reflected in Winemaking

"Vega Sicilia expresses time in a bottle of wine. Based on the wisdom of the past and the abundance of the present, it maintains its essence while creating wines with distinct brilliance in each vintage through unique reinterpretation."

Pablo Alvarez Mezquiriz, Chairman of the Tempos Vega Sicilia Group, recently said this in an interview with Asia Economy, emphasizing that the most important factor in winemaking is 'time.' He stressed that Vega Sicilia focuses all its efforts on capturing the entire time from grape growing, winemaking, to aging in a single bottle of wine. It is only when the magic of time is added that the wine’s unique aroma, flavor, and atmosphere are fully realized.

Chairman Alvarez visited Korea this year to mark the 160th anniversary of the winery’s founding. Established in 1864, Vega Sicilia was acquired in 1982 by Alvarez’s father. The flagship wine made from Tempranillo, 'Unico,' is considered an iconic wine representing Spain. Due to its high price, reaching 1 million KRW per bottle, it is somewhat less known among the general public in Korea. However, it boasts quality so high that it is called the 'Romanee-Conti' of Spain and is so popular that even in Spain, people wait on a waiting list, resulting in limited export volume. It also gained attention when it was served at the wedding banquet of Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales in the UK.

[Interview] 'Wine Embracing Time'... The Winery Chairman Who Raised It as a Spanish National Treasure

Pablo Alvarez Mezquiriz, Chairman of Tempos Vega Sicilia Group, is posing for a commemorative photo at the 'House of Shinsegae' inside Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam Branch in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

The Key Figure Behind Vega Sicilia’s Rise as a World-Class Winery

Chairman Alvarez is the person who elevated Vega Sicilia to global renown. Taking the CEO position in 1990, he led improvements in wine quality by introducing modern wine production methods. Beyond quality innovation, he actively pursued marketing efforts, traveling worldwide to conduct blind tastings with renowned wines to prove the quality of Vega Sicilia wines.

As Vega Sicilia became a national treasure-level winery in Spain, the Ribera del Duero region, where Vega Sicilia is rooted, also began to be recognized as a top-tier wine-producing area. Alvarez said, "When we acquired the winery in 1982, there were only about ten wineries in this region, but now that number has grown to around 370," expressing pride by adding, "For red wine, Ribera del Duero, along with Rioja, is the most important region in Spain."

Alvarez did not rest on Vega Sicilia’s success but continued to challenge himself by establishing new wineries. He explained, "After opening 'Alion' in 1991, aiming for a modern style different from the classic Vega Sicilia, we expanded overseas by acquiring Hungary’s Tokaji 'Oremus' in 1993, and later established 'Pintia' in Toro, Spain in 2001, and 'Macan' in Rioja in 2004." With the number of wineries growing to five, the company evolved into a global wine group called 'Tempos Vega Sicilia.'

Wine from Tempos Vega Sicilia exhibited at 'House of Shinsegae' inside Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam, Seocho-gu, Seoul.

A New Challenge: Vega Sicilia’s First White Wine 'Deiva'

Chairman Alvarez’s challenge is still ongoing. In 2019, he launched the sixth winery project of Tempos Vega Sicilia, with its first vintage wine set to debut this year. The new winery, named 'Deiva,' is located in Rias Baixas, Galicia, in northwestern Spain. Situated on the Atlantic coast, Rias Baixas has a mild but humid climate with high rainfall, which greatly influenced the thick-skinned Albarino grape becoming the region’s representative variety due to its resistance to fungal diseases.

Tempos Vega Sicilia will also present Albarino white wines from this area. However, Alvarez confidently stated that Deiva’s wines will be distinctly different from existing Albarino wines. He explained, "Albarino has much greater potential than previously known," adding, "Unlike the typically light style produced so far, our focus is on creating wines that awaken Albarino’s inherent aging potential." This means differentiating from the usual fresh style without oak aging by utilizing the grape’s high natural acidity and ripe stone fruit flavors.

Pablo Alvarez Mezquiriz, Chairman of the Tempos Vega Sicilia Group, is signing the guestbook.

This approach consistently applies Vega Sicilia’s winemaking philosophy of long-term aging to white wines as well. In fact, Vega Sicilia actively reflects the positive changes time brings to wine, aging its iconic Unico wine for 10 years before release. He said, "How much we value time in winemaking can be explained by our group name, 'Tempos,' which means 'time' in Spanish," adding, "We plan to introduce two types: 'Arnela,' a premium product aged for three years, and 'Deiva,' aged for two years with relatively greater accessibility."

Deiva is Tempos Vega Sicilia’s first white wine released in Spain. Chairman Alvarez promised that Deiva would demonstrate quality worthy of this symbolism. He said, "There is a saying in the industry that the first vintage is the worst vintage," but added, "Tempos Vega Sicilia, which pursues perfection, will continue to improve each vintage through ongoing research on the soil and climate of the Rias Baixas region, so you can expect better wines as time goes by."