The founder
From a family vine plot in San Pedro de Latarce to a winery of his own in Toro. The story of a man who learned to taste in the kitchen and decided, later in life, to make his own wine.
Eladio San José BratosFounder · Bodega Latarce, 2006
1966 · San Pedro de Latarce
Eladio San José Bratos was born on 26 April 1966 in San Pedro de Latarce, a village in Valladolid that would end up giving the winery its name. He grew up surrounded by the countryside: «My parents were market gardeners. We had a small plot and a vine we tended to make wine at home. From childhood I knew there was something special about those harvest moments with my family.»
At eighteen · the kitchen
Before wine came the restaurant trade. «It was a period of a lot of learning. I worked in the kitchen, learning to value fresh ingredients and to refine my palate. Every detail mattered, and that stayed with me.» He never studied viticulture formally: his school was the family harvest and the stove.
1996 · Toro
He moved to Toro, the town that is today his home and the winery's. «Toro is a charming place; if you wander its streets you will take a dreamlike walk.» From that love of eating and drinking well came a concrete idea: «I have always had a fine palate. I wanted to create something unique, high-quality wines that would be a true expression of our land.»
2006 · the winery is born
He founds Bodega Latarce in Toro. «This place has a special connection with the land, it is a symbol of our roots and our dedication.» The first years were uphill: «The market did not value the natural, organic wines we were making enough. But I never lost faith in our mission.»
Today
His wines are today in gourmet shops such as El Corte Inglés and in Michelin-starred restaurants. In 2019 the new facilities opened, and with them the wine-tourism complex. «Our winery is a destination in itself. Visitors do not only enjoy our wines, they also discover the beauty of Toro. I always say our winery is one more monument of this beautiful city.»
«With their help we carry on, steady, hopeful and passionate about things done well.»
Eladio San José Bratos, on his wife Lucía Fito and his daughter Andrea
The project is now a matter for three. Eladio is still at the winery every day, and his wife and daughter share the same vision: short production runs, extreme care and the certainty that a good wine is not manufactured, it is waited for.
The best way to understand it is to walk down to the barrel hall where it all began, or to read the winery's full story.
