Els Jelipins
Spain, Catalunya
The Story
Els Jelipins was born from the desire to create a vinicultural family project that would allow Glòria and her daughter Berta to live a beautiful life in the hills of Font-Rubí, in Alt Penedès, near Barcelona. In a former life, Glòria worked as an agronomical engineer - on the "dark side", as she describes it, but back in 2003, she decided to change all of that.
Today, Glòria works with plots of abandoned Montònega and Sumoll vines - some of which are 100 years old. She carefully tends to each vineyard separately, adjusting to its individual needs, possibilities and potential. Glòria makes an orange, rosé and red wine and explains that in old Sumoll vines - "each grape matures at different times, so we have to pick each grape individually." The delicately skinned varietal is late-ripening, making it a notoriously difficult vine to work with. Every grape is destemmed and sorted by hand, and "if it's not perfect, it won't make it into the barrel", says Glòria.
Throughout maceration, fermentation and three years of ageing in barrels [for the reds], Glòria's analyses the wines with her strongest tool - her palate. "I am fortunate; the cellar is under my room. I spend hours going up and down the stairs every day to taste all the barrels. You acquire an intuition." The acidity and freshness of the native Sumoll and Montònega grapes enable good ageing potential allowing Glòria to make beautiful wines to drink today or to enjoy in years to come.
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The People
Glòria & Berta
Els Jelipins is a family project whose heart is centred around the love of making exceptional quality wine, nurturing the environment and creating a healthy balanced lifestyle free from the constraints of conventional life.
“I’ve chosen to have time to think. I’ve chosen not to be rich. I used to earn so much more than I do now, and I never regret having taken this decision. It has nothing to do with achievements - it’s not because my wine has global success, it is because I’ve achieved a beautiful life with my daughter in nature and in peace.”
Glòria and Berta aim for quality, not quantity; growth is not part of their plan. Instead, they work very closely with a few select growers with whom they have built long-lasting relationships after substantial guidance from Glòria on how to take care of the land in a sustainable way using natural techniques only. The vines are supported by local biodiversity and are surrounded by oak and olive trees and wild boars, adding to the ecosystem. Each bottle of red wine is painted with a small heart-based design, and each vintage is a new treat, offering characteristics reflecting the changing nature of the complex ecosystem of Font-rubí.
“Now, everything is so quick; my challenge is to make a wine that allows you to meditate. We do what we want to do, and we do it with passion.”
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The Place
Catalunya, Spain
The lush green hills of Font-Rubí, in the Alt Penedès DOP, is a charming wine-growing region known for its quaint villages and scenic mountain views away from the nearby farms, producing mass quantities of Cava. Glòria first visited Font-Rubí at the age of two and returned every year with her family until she moved there permanently. Glòria and Berta shun conventional techniques and concentrate on making natural wines in a place they love.
Location
Photo credit Tom D Morgan