A tribute at La Europea (1953-2013)
La Europea is celebrating 60 years of providing audiences in Mexico with a high level of quality products and low prices throughout its 40 branches nationwide. La Europea’s leadership has been consistent in the marketing of wines, spirits, Spanish cod and gourmet foods, offering its distinguished clientele innovative events and introduction of new products of high quality.
Don José Ramón Ruiz, CEO of La Europea, invites us to pay a tribute of recognition to the distillate that has been part of our history for over 500 years, to the point of being a global representative of our beloved Mexico. We are talking about Tequila.
Since the Pre-Hispanic times, and even after the conquest, the Agave Tequilana Weber in its blue variety was paying a huge service to the Mexican people. The various parts of this plant were used in the construction of roofs; they also made needles and spikes, as well as in were used in the manufacturing of ropes and paper. Its leaves were left to dry and then used as fuel, with the remaining ash, they produced soap and its sap was used for healing wounds. The maguey was fully exploited.
The Tequila we know today is the result of a distillation process introduced by the Spanish as a technique to obtain a purified and stronger product. Preliminary results produced the “mezcal wine”. There are several species of agave, their juices can be fermented and distilled to produce alcohol. Of all the mezcal produced in Mexico the most famous, without a doubt, is the original from the Tequila region.
Tequila is a spirit made only in Mexico, by distilling the fermented product obtained from the heart of the plant known as Blue Agave Tequilana Weber. The uniqueness of these stems is the result of the efforts that were made between 1973 and 1982 in order to obtain for the Tequila its “designation of origin”. The territory of Mexico recognized as the only region of the world that produces tequila is shared by the states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Michoacan and Tamaulipas. To be named “Tequila”, the product should be brewed in Mexico’s tequila region and contain at least 51% of product distilled from Blue Agave Tequilana Weber, although the purest contain 100% Blue Agave.
Throughout the month of May, La Europea held its national Grand Tribute in honor of the Great Tequilas of Mexico, including important activities such as in-store tastings, lectures with tastings and special promotions.
The reason for this Homage to the Great Tequilas is part of what happens with the traditions, origins and fashions. When you open a path and it grows and grows, as it is the case of Tequila, (the best-selling distilled product in both, value and units of our country), we must recognize the honor deserved by those who have nurtured and maintained this spirit which represents us and makes us proud.
Text: LA EUROPEA ± Photo: