A Spanish vineyard co-owned by Manchester City legend David Silva has been gutted by a wildfire. The Spanish midfielder - who now plays for Real Sociedad in La Liga - is co-owner of the land near Cebreros in northern Spain.
In partnership with Spanish winemaker Jesus Soto, the footballer has been buying and revitalising ancient vineyards. But one of the plots has been destroyed in a wildfire that swept through the area earlier this week.
Renowned SotoManrique wines, that can cost up to £75 a bottle, were produced from grapes grown at the vineyard and it is estimated that the blaze will wreck production of at least half of its 3,000 bottles of “Alto de la Estrella.”
The winemaker told Reuters: “A fire is always terrifying because it kills everything around it and the feeling is just awful. The feeling, the smoke, the smell - there’s a sense of total destruction. Everything that happens during a year in nature ends up affecting the wine,” he said.
Soto Manrique is an aromatic white wine made from 60-year old bush vines and has won several industry awards. The 700-1,100m altitude gives the wines their character.
Silva is also involved in wine production and vineyards in the Canary islands and he has devoted more time to the venture since leaving Manchester City. The midfielder, who comes from Gran Canaria, bought his first vineyard in 2020.
Firefighters continued battling wildfires in several Spanish regions on Thursday. The authorities said they were making progress but were struggling with some complex conditions. In Cebreros, their efforts were being hampered by shifting winds.
Spain is already experiencing the worst year for wildfires in a decade. Blazes ahave also ripped through neighbouring Portugal, France, Italy and Greece.
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