This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)
A few weeks ago, we had a very special visit at the La Planta estate, a visit that was… magical. Our estate was the setting chosen by the professional magician Miguel de Lucas to kick off the second season of the regional TV programme Contigo Pan y Magia. After visiting the deer, wild boar and mouflon reserve, Miguel met with Ignacio Arzuaga, the managing director of Bodegas Arzuaga, at the foot of the impressive ancient holm oak and there, they chatted about nature and wine.
‘I never imagined that, in Ribera del Duero, in the heart of the land of wine and kings, I was going to find wildlife like this. These amazing deer that give life to this estate,’ remarked Miguel as soon as he got to the estate, surrounded by the deer from our reserve.
‘I’m completely amazed, wowed by this estate; the deer have left me speechless,’ Miguel started off saying to Ignacio. The managing director of Bodegas Arzuaga explained to Miguel that ‘the deer are the logo for our winery, but here we can also see wild boar, mouflons and other wild animals such as foxes, roe deer, lots of birds… it’s really an amazing natural setting of 1,400 hectares with vineyards, the deer and this majestic tree we have here, this ancient holm oak’.
‘We’re talking about one of the most important complexes dedicated to wine tourism in Spain, without a doubt,’ confirmed Miguel.
Their chat also touched on that inspiration that magicians and wine producers share when it comes to creating their tricks and their wines. An inspiration that, as Ignacio explained, often comes to him as he walks around the La Planta estate. In this sense, Ignacio alluded to the balance, both on the estate, where there’s a ‘balance between nature and the inevitable intervention of humans, who always leave a trace, wherever they go,’ as well as in the wine. ‘Balance between the fruit and the wood, the acidity and the alcohol content… and that balance is the basis of life in general,’ noted Ignacio.
The chat finished with one of the most special moments we experience on the La Planta estate, which Ignacio defined as the ‘peak time’: the bellowing of the deer. ‘That sound we can hear all over the estate of the male deer that are bellowing to fight for the females, the clash of the antlers, that’s amazing,’ he affirmed.
For Bodegas Arzuaga, it was a real pleasure to welcome Miguel Lucas and the Contigo Pan y Magia team and, once again, we raise our glasses to toast to the success this second season of the programme will surely have… Cheers!