Where it all began. Perhaps that’s not entirely accurate, because it all started much earlier, but it was the place that laid the foundations for my current view of the world of wine. Enópata (Calle Cuenca nº 123, Valencia) is not just any wine shop, a place where wine is sold as if it were just another commercial activity, but rather a place where a passion for life is conveyed. Almost twenty years ago, fate led me to that temple where, guided by Juan Ferrer, I absorbed a way of understanding wine. There I understood that terroir is the key to a wine conveying a landscape and that wine is the result of the union between earth and sky channeled by the hand of man.
I simply dedicated myself to following his teachings: Mechanize habits; travel to wine regions; spend money on wines; taste, taste, and taste; don’t be picky; study, visit wineries; attend courses and tastings; and share… In this way, I developed an excessive interest in learning about a world that had overwhelmed me.
Juan Ferrer has been in the wine business his whole life, perhaps even longer, although he may not realize it. He has conducted more than three thousand tastings and, after almost fifty years, continues to import French wines every month. One could even say that France is an extension of himself. He exudes passion for wine through every pore and knows the crus of Burgundy better than the back of his hand. With this information, it is easy to deduce the origin of his nickname and, therefore, that of his store: ENÓPATA.
There, I not only immersed myself in a passionate and addictive world, but I also found a good number of friends with whom I have shared countless experiences and good times. That same world led me to meet other people with the same enthusiasm, people in the industry or enthusiasts, among whom are my friends from Terroir a Ciegas.
Several years have passed since I started out, but it has never been enough time to master the wonderful world of wine. However, what I am certain of is that I would not be the same person if I had not opened the door to Enópata at some point.