Luisa Freire, the alchemist of Santiago Ruiz

Since 1999, Luisa Freire has dedicated her days to her roles as winemaker at Santiago Ruiz. A task that she has been familiar with since her childhood, as in her family, the custom of making wine to drink at home goes back as long as anyone can remember. And as such, her winemaking career is almost a natural occurrence.

A calling that has led Luisa to dedicate herself to this winery for the last twenty years. Two decades of devotion during which, alongside Rosa Ruiz - the founder's daughter, sister-in-arms, the soul of the winery and Luisa's friend - she has successfully preserved the legacy of Santiago Ruiz.

Thanks to her training in biology and her broad experience in winemaking, like any good "alchemist", Luisa is skilled at bringing together the components that make up a wine in their right proportions to make sure that it transmits its origin and personality.

Work that beings in the vineyard, located on the edge of the River Miño, where Luisa patiently monitors the development of the grapes, waiting until they reach their correct level of ripeness, seeking to preserve the philosophy of Santiago Ruiz in each and every vintage, listening to the vines and respecting its timings.

The results of which can be seen in the winery's two wines: Santiago Ruiz, which bears the hallmarks of the five Galician grape varieties selected by the founder to express his ideal vision of Rías Baixas wine. And Rosa Ruiz, a 100% Albariño that comes from vines trellised in the traditional manner in the old winery in San Miguel de Tabagón, the result of Luisa's on-going investigation into the behaviour of native varieties.

It is in her laboratory, the centre of her work as an alchemist, where Luisa carefully looks after her micro-tanks, which she affectionately calls "her children". Here, Luisa shows her scientific side and puts into practice the different innovation projects that she is taking part in, to deepen her knowledge on the behaviour of native varieties.

An expert in the production of white wines, her new challenge can be found hundreds of kilometres away from her birthplace in Galicia: LAN's new winery in Rueda, where she is making her mark on AURA. A new stage that she is taking on with great enthusiasm, underlining once again, her true passion for winemaking.