Francisco Barona

The classic case of working for decades to become an overnight success, this rising star winemaker’s impressive CV lists some of the world’s most prestigious wineries, and his name now joins those of the best in Ribera del Duero

- TIM ATKIN MW

My appointment with Francisco Barona sounded like something out of a Graham Greene novel. ‘Meet me in front of the bullring in Roa,’ he’d told me on the phone. I was intrigued. Did he want to share his love of the corrida before we talked and tasted? Would he arrive dressed as a matador? The answer was more prosaic. Barona is in the process of building a bodega nearby and, for the time being, he presents his wines in a modest ground floor room in the centre of town. The bullring is the nearest landmark.

The tasting itself was considerably more eventful. It wasn’t just that Barona turned up with an armful of vine cuttings, harvested that morning to show me the varieties that make up his field blends. It was also the remarkable quality of his wines, as good as anything I’ve sampled in Ribera del Duero. But more than anything, it was Barona’s life story that inspired and enchanted me. This young winemaker – he’s still only 37 – has packed more adventure into his three and a half decades than most of his contemporaries will manage in twice the time. Sit down and pour yourself a glass of red while I share the details.

THE BEGINNING

It all began mundanely enough. Barona was born into a family of what he calls ‘humble growers’ in Roa. A poor student, he found his inspiration working in vineyards. ‘I could drive a tractor by the time I was 12 and at weekends and during the holidays I helped my dad or worked at neighbouring Bodegas y Viñedos Robeal.’ He left school at 18, with grades in his Bachillerato (Spanish A-levels) that weren’t good enough for him to go to university to study winemaking. More hard graftin the vineyard beckoned.