Madrid, November 12, 2025.– The Marqués de Vargas winery announces the appointment of Graciela Palacios as winemaker and technical director, betting on internal talent and continuity. Palacios takes over from Ana Barrón, a figure who has been essential in the history of the winery and a leading professional in the sector.
Graciela Palacios is part of a new generation of winemakers, committed to professional excellence, sustainability in vineyard management and authenticity when it comes to defining the personality of wines.
His academic training led him to study Oenology and Viticulture at the Universityof La Rioja, which he later complemented with a Master’s Degree in Wine Technology, Management, and Innovation. His professional career has been enriched bystays abroad. In fact, his international experience has given him in-depth knowledge of the vineyards of Italy and Brazil, consolidating his expertise in the production of long-aged red wines, which is precisely the specialty of the Marqués de Vargas winery.
Born in Salamanca, she has always lived in the Rioja town of Fuenmayor. Her family is linked to the world of oenology and viticulture, so Graciela grew up “among vineyards and barrels,” and that is how she discovered her passion for wine at a young age.
“Among my earliest memories are treading grapes and discovering the magic of must turning into wine. I saw in my father the happiness of someone who works at what he loves, and his example awakened in me a passion that is now my vocation,” says Palacios.
Graciela joined Marqués de Vargas in 2024, as part of the team led by Ana Barrón, whom she considers her great professional reference and mentor. “Working alongside Ana has been a great privilege. She has been one of the great winemakers in Spain and, together with her, I have learned to understand and observe the soul of the vineyard, and to make wines with the heart, which is what really makes the difference in this work. I will always remember one of Ana’s maxims: that every technical decision must be guided by professional criteria, sensitivity and coherence; we have to think about the future,” he says.
About her new stage at Marqués de Vargas, Graciela highlights the responsibility of directing a project with history, soul and purpose. “Assuming the technical direction of Marqués de Vargas and contributing my vision, is a challenge that I take on with great enthusiasm, with deep gratitude and with a great sense of responsibility. I continue Ana’s vision of the vineyard, I acquire her commitment to excellence and I look to the future with a shared philosophy, which is the very essence of the house: to produce long-aged wines that speak of our land – Rioja- and that represent our vineyard -the Hacienda Pradolagar. Elegant, deep wines with character, which have made Marqués de Vargas a reference,” says the winemaker.
For his part, Mr. Pelayo de la Mata, president of Bodegas y Viñedos del Marqués de Vargas has highlited “We are very excited that the figure of the new winemaker will be a person from the house, who knows our values and who will bring a fresh look and passion to Marqués de Vargas. Graciela has shown talent, maturity and humility. She will give continuity to the project led by our dear Ana Barrón, who shared with Graciela her knowledge, her philosophy at work and her special way of understanding wine”.
With this appointment, the winery reaffirms its commitment to talent and continuity, to continue making wines with elegance, character, and depth, while keeping intact the values that have made Marqués de Vargas a benchmark in Rioja.
