D. Carlos Falcó y Fernández de Córdova, Marqués de Griñón, was born in Seville, Spain. He studied Agricultural Engineering at the University of Lovaina (Belgium), and subsequently graduated from the University of California (Davis). He has pioneered the modernisation of European viticulture and the development of distinguished regional wines in Spain, where varieties such as Syrah and Petit Verdot, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Graciano in Castilla La Mancha, have been introduced for the first time.
His first book (Understanding Wine, Ed. Martínez Roca), published in June, 1999, is now in its tenth edition, and has been awarded various prizes by national and international critics, making it a bestseller on the subject. He is currently writing a book entitled Oleum, about the fascinating world and history of extra virgin olive.