Pancho Campo MW: Jay Miller's Spanish gatekeeper?
Earlier this year Adela Richer Moreno-Luque, the sales manager of The Spanish Wine Academy, approached the DO Madrid (Vinos de Madrid) offering a visit from Jay Miller and Pancho Campo. The visit would cost in the region of 20,000 euros.
Madrid turned down this opportunity. It is a small DO (45 producers) and couldn’t afford to pay 20,000 euros, especially in the current stringent economic circumstances. It is not known whether the proposal included a master class to be given by Jay Miller.
Moreno-Luque was disappointed that it wasn’t possible to arrange a Campo-Miller visit as she confided on Facebook on 21st June 2011 at 8.52pm to her friend Estrella Orti of Bodega y Viñedos Gosálbez Orti (http://www.qubel.com), one of the DO Madrid wineries.
Adela Richer Moreno-Luque: ‘Que pena que (no) cuajara la cata de Pancho podría haberse catado,y ademas con Miller como acompañante...
(Adela: it is a pity that the tasting with Pancho did not happen, and with Miller as a companion..)
Estrella Orti (Bodega Qubél): Pues sí, pero ahora se mira todo con lupa, las bodegas estamos apretadas!!!!
(Estrella: Yes, but now everything is looked through a magnifying glass and the wineries are having to tighten their belts.)
The source commented:
‘Translating this for you, has made me very sad, really sad. Wine business in Spain is going bad, the economy is going very bad…and clearly Pancho is taking advantage of having Jay Miller with him... requesting money to a very small wine region. You know, a visit from Parker team to your winery is like having dinner with Ronaldo or Maradona. But no money, no visit.’
This approach to DO Madrid raises questions over the statement issued in the name of Asevin today, on the eve of Wine Future Hong Kong. Was it really Asevin who approached The Wine Academy or vice-versa?
