You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Spanish. (February 2024) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the Spanish article. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must follow the LLM translation guideline, revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Spanish Wikipedia article at [[:es:Isabel Mijares]]; see its history for attribution. You may also add the template {{Translated|es|Isabel Mijares}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

María Isabel Mijares García-Pelayo (1942 – 10 February 2024) was a Spanish oenologist. She was considered the first woman in the profession and the first woman to run a winery in Spain.^[1]

María Isabel Mijares was born in Mérida, where she had a "happy childhood" alongside her eight siblings.^[1][2] Her father's family were of Leonese origin, and ran a home winery, through which she was introduced to winemaking.^[2]

Mijares began studying chemistry at Universidad Complutense, but put her degree on hold.^[3] In 1967 she began studying oenology at the Institute of Oenology of the University of Bordeaux in France after receiving a scholarship from the French government.^[2][3] While there, she met Émile Peynaud, who became her mentor.^[2] In 1970, she completed her doctorate in oenology at the institute.^[2]

Mijares ran Palacio de Arganza, a winery in Villafranca del Bierzo.^[3]

From 1982 until 1987, Mijares chaired the Valdepeñas Regulatory Council, the first woman to do so. In 1985 she joined the Royal Academy of Gastronomy [es] as a viticulture expert.^[3]

From 1998 until 2019, Mijares served as the coordinator and director of the Camps Guide to the Best Wines in Spain.^[2]

Beginning in 2017, Mijares served as technical director of wine activities for the Real Casino of Madrid.^[2]

Mijares died of a heart attack in Madrid, on 10 February 2024, at the age of 81.^[3][2]

• Curso de vinos latinoamericanos y Curso de vinos españoles, 1992, in collaboration with José Antonio Sáez Illobre.
• El vino, de la cepa a la copa (in Spanish) (4 ed.). Ediciones Mundi-Prensa. 2007. ISBN 978-84-8476-318-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) (with José Antonio Sáez Illobr, first published in 1995e)
• Colección de Guías de vinos y bodegas. 1996, Editorial El País-Aguilar in collaboration with José Antonio Sáez Illobre.