Juan José Diez González, Winemaker at Bodegas Faustino and Chief Oenologist at Familia Martinez Zabala
Juan José Diez González is an Agricultural Engineer and holds a Degree in Winemaking. He is a professional with a powerful, global view of winemaking. His greatest passion is to create wine from within the vineyard: “the most important thing is to be in the trenches, on the ground.” That passion arose, mainly, from the connection of his mother's and father's families with the countryside and livestock.
His uncles on his mother's side of the family gave him their passion for bringing locally grown products to the kitchen – and that is something that he has always liked and it helped to make him decide to become a winemaker.
For Juanjo, it is important to remember that, in the past, experience and a bit of luck were the basis for a wine's success. And now the success factor is determined by a combination of knowledge and the application of scientifically-based methods. Certain matters cannot be left to chance. It’s a question of the science of winemaking and continuous improvement; one always has to go further.
He began his professional career as an assistant alongside a hopper, graduallypassing through all the positions in the winery and production. Now, after almost five years as a winemaker at Bodegas Faustino Winery, he is grateful and proud that the Martínez Zabala Family have opted for someone like him –someone from the land– to work with them towards an innovative future; to be at the forefront of their wines.
