Diego Fernandez Pons
Spain
Valencia's Winemaker of the Year 2018
- After spending the last 21 years making a name for himself in the region, Diego was voted 2018's Best Winemaker in Valencia - a huge honour
- His passion for putting Valencia firmly on the wine map shines through in every drop he creates
- He says “I want, with every sip, to go back (and take you!) to those long summer lunches at my grandmother's when a huge Mediterranean family would sit for hours around beautiful foods and smiling faces"
Vineyard Location
Diego Fernandez Pons's Story
Diego's Story
My Name is Diego Fernández and I was born in Valencia in 1971. Since I was a little kid I felt being myself when surrounded by nature and doing handwork. That is the reason why, when it came to choose a career, I went at the age of 18 to Agronomy School in Valencia. I was not much of a wine lover at that age although wine had, forever, been at the family table and I had naturally enjoyed it but without giving it too much of a thought.
During my college years I went to France to earn my living harvesting in Champagne and ended doing extra labor hours at the cellar. So my first real contact with the wine world was at Bouzy and loved the atmosphere, companionship and true joy of life approach they had.
Naturally I followed working in different wineries as a student during the summer break and, after graduating as an Agronomic Engineer in Valencia, I went to Montpellier to get my Oenology degree.
Making wine has many rewarding experiences and, one of the most important of them all, is getting to know your consumers, the people that enjoy the result of your job and way of life. This relation is direct and easy at the cellar but, until we found out about Naked, we thought it was impossible to achieve with international consumers. We are looking forward to broaden our winemaking philosophy and skills with the help from the Angels.
The main idea driving our viticulture and winemaking is to make wines that can enrich conversations and lunches or moments of thoughts and calm. We understand wine as the companion to life’s self rewarding moments… Thinking about it now, I believe I want, with every sip, to go back (and take you) to those long summer lunches at my grandmother’s when a huge Mediterranean family would sit for hours around beautiful foods and smiling faces; those times when the world was just a distant rumor.
