Balancing on bottles, music and live painting brightened up an emotional evening of ‘sincere gratitude’ for these 25 years.
Bodegas Más Que Vinos celebrates its 25th anniversary with a very special harvest party. On 28 September, the winery located in Cabañas de Yepes, welcomed friends, customers and authorities to give thanks for a new harvest and celebrate the first 25 years of a project born from the enthusiasm and tenacity of Gonzalo Rodríguez, Alexandra Schmedes and Margarita Madrigal.
‘Nothing would be without you’.
Margarita Madrigal, one of the three people who have headed the MQV project from the beginning, assured that, after 25 years on the road, ‘there are only words of thanks to all the people who have accompanied us throughout this time. Friends, clients, family... to all of you: thank you’.
Alexandra Schmedes insisted on her gratitude for this and ‘for the other 26 previous harvests’. ‘Every vintage is a challenge’, she said and finished with emotion: “Nothing would be without you”.
Looking back, Margarita has observed that ‘the business circumstances of society in general, and of the wine sector in particular, have changed a lot in these 25 years’. Even so, she recognises that ‘our desire is to continue with a lot of determination, renewed energy and imagination to be able to celebrate many more anniversaries’.
They also wanted to remember two important people who ‘had a lot to do with the beginnings of the winery: Carlos Ruiz, architect and the mayor of Cabañas de Yepes Ángel de Vega’ who ‘left too soon’.
Invited wineries
The celebration was attended by invited friends and customers, but also by other friendly wineries that did not want to miss this celebration of gratitude. A total of five wineries from all over the world offered a sample of their wines:
Ashkar Winery (Galilee)
Beaumont winery (South Africa)
Cottinelli (Switzerland)
Dorst & Consorten (Germany)
Maximin Gruenhaus (Germany)
In addition, the winery offered a welcome glass of its sparkling brut nature PERLAS DE OTOÑO and had three of its own wine bars with a selection of its wine ranges: ERCAVIO, LOS CONEJOS MALDITOS and bottles of the special wines of LA PLAZUELA, LA MALVAR de MQV, VIÑA EL SEÑORITO DE ERCAVIO and LA GARNACHA DE LA MADRE. The drinks section was completed with the participation of the Toledo company Ginebras 1085. Quesos Moraleda de Dosbarrios also collaborated.
A magical evening
In this relaxed and emotional atmosphere, the flamenco guitarist Juan Camacho and the singer Rocío enlivened a large part of the evening with depth and feeling. DJ Jorge García took over at the end of the evening.
Art is present in the daily life of MQV and that's why it also appeared in last Saturday's party. Elena Vives (La gata japonesa) acrobat and tightrope walker who, as Alexandra Schmedes said ‘is already part of the MQV family’ did two performances walking on bottles and on the moon. Acrobatics that are in perfect harmony with the winery's slogan: ‘Viticulture in balance’.
Finally, José Uríszar, a painter from La Rioja, a personal friend of MQV and author of the mural outside the winery, created a live watercolour which was raffled among the attendees, together with a 5-litre bottle of La Plazuela. The money raised from the raffle was donated to the AMAFI association in Yepes.
An iconic range
In addition to this very special harvest festival, to commemorate 25 years of existence, the iconic ERCAVIO range has been redesigned. To do so, they have had the help of their great friend from La Rioja, the painter José Uríszar. The image on the labels is a tribute to the vine, the origin.
This is in line with the winery's motto: ‘Viticulture in balance’. Its philosophy is to work the land with respect, practising viticulture in harmony with the environment.
