Occasionally I write an article entitled The *Wine Lover* Next Door which profiles a friend, neighbor, family member, or co-worker who loves their wine! But this article isn’t about the “normal” consumer. Elena Selva Olivares is a crucial member of the family which owns and operates Bodegas Olivares and is someone with whom I connected personally and professionally at their winery and at lunch in June when I was in Spain’s Region of Murcia while participating in a press trip. This lovely lady is smart, loves to smile, is honest and genuine, knows her wine and is one wine lover you need to meet!
Bodegas Olivares is located in the northwest corner of D.O. Jumilla in the sub-zone of Hoya de Santa Ana which has the highest elevation (825 metres) in the region. Because of this elevation, nights are considerably cooler than most areas, yet the days are warm, typical of those in Jumilla. Sandy soils combined with a high percentage of chalk give the grapes just what they need to thrive. The family is proud of their 110 hectares of ungrafted Monastrell vines. The rootstock is grafted onto their own rootstock and not those from America. (When the Phylloxera epidemic was rampant in Europe at the end of the 19th century and destroyed all of the wine regions, the method to cultivate more grapes was to graft older, European varieties onto American rootstock which was disease resistant.) Currently, the vines on the estate of Bodegas Olivares average over 55 years old with very low yield. The unique attributes of wine from ungrafted vines are lauded by true wine aficianados.
Pascual Olivares Fernandez began producing wine in 1930 and the rest is, well, history! Our group of bloggers visited the winery one morning and was greeted by Elena who walked us through the bottling room, caves, and tasting area with detailed explanations. The wines were delicious and a few of my favorites will be posted on Thursday, September 5. But what I loved (as much as the wine!) was getting to know Elena at the tasting and again at a wonderful two hour lunch afterwards. Upon my return home, she graciously responded to my email with answers to questions I thought would enhance this “grape experience” for you (and me)! Please meet Elena Selva Olivares…
Elena, what is your current job at the winery?
Elena: I am in charge of the Export Department, so I am in direct contact with all of our foreign clients. I am the person who travels to the different markets and contacts our actual clients and possible new clients. Every year we plan travels and fairs to attend and try to see all of the clients at least once every year or two. Apart from this, this is not a big business and I like to be in contact with other areas of the winery such as management and accounting.
What is your educational background? You mentioned you were a banker…
Elena: I studied Economics in Valencia. I also studied management, finance, accountancy, and marketing. At the end of the degree I worked for a few months in a bank, but I always loved the wine business so I came back to Jumilla and started working at the winery full time. I increased my knowledge in wine by studying management of wineries in a post graduate course.
When you were younger, what did you do on the winery?
Elena: Since I remember, I have spent the harvests in the winery. This is the busiest moment of the year and my parents used to spend a lot of hours in the winery (they still do!), so my brother, sister, and I were also there. When we were children we just watched all of the people working, ate some grapes…when we grew older, we helped in little jobs like selecting some grapes, giving messages, etc.
What other members of the family are working at Bodegas Olivares?
Elena: My father, Francisco Selva, is the General Manager, Pascual Olivares, my uncle, is the Technical Director and the main Winemaker. My brother, Francisco, is directly helping Pascual in the elaboration. Encarna Olivares, my mother, is in charge of National Sales and Administration and my aunt, Magdalena Olivares, is Accountant.
I know the winery began in 1930, but how long has your family been in Jumilla?
Elena: The winery was founded by my mother’s grandfather. My great-grandfather started producing little quantities of wine which sold regionally. The second and third generations expanded the sales to national and international. The roots of my family have always been in Jumilla.
How “hands on” are you now when it comes to the production?
Elena: From mid-August, we collect samples of the grapes to see how maturity is evolving. I use a special hardware for analysis of the grapes (unfortunately, my chemical knowledge is very basic so I would be lost without this!). I then pass the results to Pascual. During the elaboration process in September and October, I check the grapes when they arrive at the winery and analyze them before they get into the tanks in order to see some quality issues.
You mentioned that all of the grapes are hand harvested. How many workers do you have assisting?
Elena: We have around 30 extra people for picking up the grapes in our estate.
Do you have people visiting the winery for tastings or tours?
Elena: We are not currently part of the “Ruta del Vino” project which organizes tastings and tours in Jumilla’s wineries although we plan to be in the future. We are now building an area where the tastings can take place. In the meantime we always attend to people who want to see the winery and have tastings. For example, in the beginning of September we will have a visit of 25 people from Canada. The are wine lovers and make trips to wine regions every year. They contacted us for a visit and tasting and of course we will take care of them as best we can!
What do you see as the future for Bodegas Olivares?
Elena: We are focused on improving our wines’ quality and trying to extract the best from our vines. Our idea is to try to be a reference in Jumilla wines, to be known because we make wines which are personal and reflect the land from where they come. And of course we try to export more to the United States and other countries, but this is always a result of us doing good work in the vines and getting people to know them!
Elena, tell me something that most people reading this may not know!
Elena: Our winery was the first in Jumilla elaborating a sweet red wine of Monastrell! We wanted to elaborate a sweet wine which had the structure and complexity of the red wines of the area. From the moment we released it, the wine was a huge success! We were the pioneers in making this kind of wine in our area.
Cheers~ Cindy
For more articles about my wine journey to Murcia, you may want to read theses posts published recently!
You’re Invited – A Virtual Wine Journey to Spain’s Region of Murcia, Home of Monastrell
Tasted for the Very First Time – Monastrell in D.O. Yecla
Wine for Your Weekend with Murcian Salad Canape
Lunch at Bodegas Castaño: (Quickly) Easing into the Spanish Lifestyle
Wine for Your Weekend with Goats Cheese Roll with Fig Jam
Wine for Your Weekend with Manchego Cheese and…
Jumilla and Monastrell – The Tradition Continues at Bodegas Juan Gil
Wine for Your Weekend with Spanish Omelette
