CARLOS & IGNACIO ECHAPRESTO
The Echapresto brothers spent their childhoods in the kitchen of Venta de Moncalvillo in Daroca de Rioja (a tiny village with only 30 inhabitants) watching their beloved mother Rosi cook. It was perhaps inevitable that they would end up a sommelier and a chef respectively.
Thanks to their efforts, the family restaurant (ventamoncalvillo.com) now has a Michelin star. La Rioja is a land of vegetables and wine, and those are the two pillars on which the brothers have built their success. Ignacio, the chef, tries to use all possible vegetables from their kitchen garden. Artichokes, green peas, mushrooms and borage all play leading roles on the menu, and Ignacio knows exactly how to make them shine.
Meanwhile, sommelier Carlos has built an impressive wine list for the restaurant, featuring 1,500 wines from around the world – though, of course, the most significant section comprises the 150 whites and 650 reds from Rioja. The restaurant’s beautiful cellar is like a time capsule, where Carlos amasses old vintages and outstanding bottles of Rioja, some of them impossible to find elsewhere nowadays. The oldest bottle in his unique collection is a 1904 vintage of La Rioja Alta, the year that gives its name to the brand.
Recently, the brothers have undertaken two additional ventures. Cocina de Madre is a new restaurant focusing on the most traditional recipes of Rioja. It is a tribute to their mother, who passed away in 2016. Away from the world of wine, they have also set up the Moncalvillo Meadery and have developed five different types of mead using honey from the best parts of Rioja. PC
‘Venta de Moncalvillo’s beautiful cellar is like a time capsule, where Carlos Echapresto amasses old vintages and outstanding bottles of Rioja, some impossible to find elsewhere’