José Moro slept Saturday night in the winery.
He had had dinner with friends and decided to rest in the private area of Cepa 21, in Castrillo de Duero (Valladolid).
He didn't hear anything.
Not a sound that alerted him to the sabotage that occurred at 3:30 in the morning in the warehouse area.
He found out on Sunday morning, when the winery's wine tourism team went to work, and discovered that a person had broken into the facilities and emptied three warehouses, where 60,000 liters of wine from the last harvest rested.
“Fortunately, I didn't find out anything.
Thank goodness, because in those cases you never know what would have happened, although it is always best to call the Civil Guard,” says Moro, in a telephone conversation with EL PAÍS, who interrupts to answer another call from a television station that asks him to enter. live in a program.
This is how it has been all morning this Tuesday.
“Today I will have about 12 or 13 interviews, and yesterday I had a few.
The media from Germany, from France, from all over the world are calling me.”
When he resumes the dialogue, he recognizes that he is making the event profitable through the media.
“At least it has an impact on brand awareness.
Something good will have to come out of this,” he explains.
He acknowledges that he has cried.
She has a slight suspicion of who is the person starring in a video with the events, released by the company to the media.
It lasts just 20 seconds.
She has seen him several times.
There are more recordings, but they are in the hands of the security forces.
“She is a woman, she is seen clearly.
She knows very well how everything works, but I can't say anything because she is investigating everything.”
She points out that the person who perpetrated the assault “is someone unbalanced, with an evil that I had never seen in my life, because you either steal the wine or drink it, but you don't throw it away.”
She confesses that she has no enemies.
“It could be someone with envy or a work issue, but I can't give more information.
I have to be cautious.”
More information
The Pesquera winery family wins the trademark lawsuit against the 'wayward' daughter
Family is ruled out among the suspects.
“There is nothing there, I don't suspect anyone.
It would be going against your own brand,” she reasons.
In April 2022, José Moro left the presidency of the Emilio Moro winery - named after his grandfather and founder - where he had worked for 30 years, focusing on the internationalization of wines and ending his cycle with a turnover of 32 .5 million euros.
His departure from the business was agreed at a general meeting of shareholders due to discrepancies in the strategic vision of the family's crown jewel.
Since then, his brother Javier has been in charge of the management of the winery, founded in Pesquera de Duero in 1891. José went on to take charge of the relaunch of Cepa 21, created in 2000. Four wines are made there: Hito, Cepa 21, Malabrigo and Horcajo.
In 2022, according to the latest registered accounts, the winery had a turnover of 5.7 million euros and a profit of 219,000 euros.
José Moro, president of Cepa 21, in an archive image.
“Last year we closed the turnover at seven million and we have had short profits because we are making changes,” explains Moro.
He recognizes that this assault represents a financial blow, “in addition to an attack against workers and winegrowers.”
He does the math.
He has lost a good part of the wine production that he planned to put on the market between the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. 15% of turnover.
“About 2.5 million euros.”
De Horcajo, the highest-end wine, with a price of 54 euros in the store, has lost the entire production of the harvest: 20,000 liters, with which it made the 28,000 bottles it puts on the market each year.
Malabrigo, at 25 euros per unit, has lost the same volume, but has three more deposits left.
Cepa 21 will put 272,000 bottles on the market, at around 13 euros each.
The wine was insured, "but the insurance pays the value of the grapes at three euros per kilo, and the processing fee, which is one euro, and that does not cover the losses in the final value of the wine."
What he is left with is the countless calls and messages he receives: “he has called me from Pau Gasol, Iker Casillas, Father Ángel, the father of Santo Domingo de Silos..., everyone.
I have realized how many people love me.”
You can follow EL PAÍS Gastro
on
and
X.