Located on the eastern edge of Navarra, surrounding the tiny village of Lerga, lies an incredible legacy of prized old vineyards that have been farmed by the local growers for generations. Here, bush vine Tempranillo and Garnacha have been digging their roots deep into the chalky gravel soils for up to 110 years. "It's these gnarly old vines that produce the fruit of great concentration and style for Red Guitar".
The Grape Growers Of Lerga
Ninety-three year old Pedro Zabaleta grows grapes for Red Guitar on vineyards that were planted by his grandfather and father, sixty to eighty years ago. "I was eight years old when I first started working in these vineyards," remembers Zabaleta, "doing everything from pruning the vines to harvesting the grapes."
Another grower for Red Guitar, seventy-two year old Jose Ojer, remembers that the men used to work from sunrise to sunset, eating five meals and day and drinking as much as two bottles of wine per person. For breakfast he often ate a sardine sandwich, washed down with the rich red wine of the region. "The wine was both beverage and food for us," he remembers. "It quenched our thirst, and it gave us energy to work. And we worked hard. There were no tractors, so all of the work was done by hand, and the grapes were hauled by horses."
Most of Ojer's vineyards were planted sixty years ago, by his grandfather, when Jose was a very little boy. One small section is more than one hundred years old, and dates to the time when his grandfather was a young man. "In those days, all of the men in town worked together. I remember as a child, we would first all go to one vineyard, and do the pruning. The next day, we would prune another man's vineyard. And every day, we ate in the vineyard, so we wouldn't lose any time."
Today Pedro Zabaleta, Jose Ojer and their families still tend these vines, now with the assistance of modern equipment. But they also remember the struggles of the days gone by, and they know how hard they worked for each parcel of land, each vine.
These are the men who grow the grapes for Red Guitar.