The wine-maker and technical director of Casa Lo Alto was presented with the Winemaking Merit Medal to mark his career on a magical night at the DO Valencia wine gala

The great Valencian wine event was welcomed back enthusiastically after a two-year absence, and this year’s DO Valencia Wine Night disappointed no-one. The venue was the Príncipe Felipe Science Museum, where the wineries registered with the Regulatory Council presented their new products for tasting.

During the evening, Víctor Marqués was presented with the Winemaking Merit Medal, along with other outstanding personalities from the world of wine, wineries and winemaking projects who also received awards. It makes 13 June this year a red letter day in the short history of Casa lo Alto.

The medal provides recognition for the work done at this vineyard estate in recent years, radically changing the personality of its wines in a place where those previously produced were already excellent and enjoyed international prestige.

But the wines made by Víctor Marqués are something else. They have their own personality; they are different from those made in the surrounding area; and their aromas and flavours are recognisable, reflecting the terroir where the vines grow, in a uniquely excellent setting.

To make them stand out like this, over the last few years the soils have been thoroughly researched; fertilisers of organic animal origin have been used; biodiversity is encouraged to keep the land is alive; and the almond groves and woodland around the estate are considered to form an environmental whole with the vineyards. Later, in the winery, the grapes are processed with the minimum possible intervention. The challenge is to ensure that the sensations produced by all these natural surroundings are contained in each bottle of Casa Lo Alto’s Vino de Paraje.