The winery was named after José Pariente, a hard-working grape grower and producer from Rueda whose vines served as the base for the project launched by his daughter Maria Victoria (Mariví) Pariente in 1998. Some years later, Mariví fulfilled her dream of building her own modern premises and launch a range of wines to show the diversity of the indigenous Verdejo grape. The third generation, siblings Martina and Ignacio, have fully joined the business and have even launched their own project in Castilla y León under the name (Prieto Pariente).
José Pariente is now one of the most respected brands in Rueda for its quality and continuity. Rueda is one of the most technologically-minded denominations in Spain, yet hand-harvesting is the standard for bush vines and indigenous yeasts have been selected from José Pariente's own vineyards as part of a join project with the University of Navarra. Around 75% of the grapes are cold-macerated and vinification is done in stainless steel deposits.
Aside from the barrel-fermented white and the Cuvée Especial, which is fermented in concrete eggs, the young José Pariente includes some batches of Verdejo fermented in concrete and oak vats. Work with the lees is thoroughly applied to all the wines. In 2005 they started conversion to organic farming.
Most of the half million bottles produced are of José Pariente Verdejo (€9), which displays good aromatic intensity, fresh fruit and fennel rather than tropical notes and good consistency in the palate. José Pariente Sauvignon Blanc, a limited production wine, is sold at the same price whereas Apasionado, also made with this variety, is a sweet wine (€12.50, 50 cl.).
The 225-litre-barrels traditionally used for José Pariente Fermentado en Barrica (€15) are gradually being replaced by larger formats (mostly 500-litre vats) in order to obtain a better balance between fruit and wood. The Verdejo used for the Cuvée Especial (€25) is vinified in cement tanks in an effort to obtain a pure expression of the variety and the soil without any oak interference.
