“I assume the presidency as a continuation, not a change”.

After fifteen years in the position, Jesús Ruiz stepped down as president of Bodegas Tarón last year. Ángel Samaniego is now at the helm of the Governing Board,

although, as he himself insists, “this is not about individuals, but about speaking in the plural; although I am the visible head, this is a territory that depends on everyone”.

Aged 47 and a Technical Industrial Engineer, the new president of Bodegas Tarón’s Governing Board had it clear from childhood that he wanted to be a farmer and work in the vineyards; “but my mother made it a condition that I had a university degree under my arm”, he recalls. It was only after finishing his studies and trying his luck in jobs “that didn’t fill him” that he was able to fulfil his dream of working in the fields, and to do so, moreover, alongside his brother. His vineyards are in Sajazarra, his mother’s village, “where I come from”.

After little more than half a year in the position, Ángel Samaniego confesses that he is still landing; although he can count on the experience of his predecessor, whom he defines as a man of ten: “I learned and continue to learn a lot from Chuchi, who has always been an advanced man, not only in his time, but also in this one; that is why I believe that this presidency is not going to be a change, but a continuation”.
He is not lacking in enthusiasm and desire to take on the challenges that the future holds. And, as he says: “when I dedicate myself to something, I do it 100% and now I am going to give my all so that this region explodes. The enthusiasm among the people, the winegrowers, the partners, the workers at the winery is impressive… We really want to do good things and we know that we can do them. Tarón is starting to take off and we have a brutal road ahead of us”.
For Samaniego, the present and the future lie in placing Bodegas Tarón in the international spotlight. The awards that are being reaped now are “the result of a job well done before, and we can continue to do just as well or better”.
As he points out, the market is currently demanding special wines “and that’s what we have to do now: very rich, high quality wines, to be drunk in the best restaurants and at the most special celebrations. This is the path we have to follow”.
Ángel, who is passionate about travelling and getting to know other cultures, is clear about the potential of Territorio Tarón: “we have castles, history, nature, tradition, gastronomy… In other countries, with much less, they get much more out of it and that is where we are going to work. We have plenty of attitude, enthusiasm and desire”.