Gabriella

Ryan

Address: Vinos de los Herederos de Marques de Riscal, Torrea 1, 01340 Alava
Telephone: +34 945 606 000
marquesderiscal@marquesderiscal.com
www.marquesderiscal.com

Having spent the better half of an afternoon touring through the City of Wine, we can tell you that although the initial shock of seeing radiant shades of pink and green slowly creep up over the sandstone horizon takes a few moments to wear off, the entire estate is truly worth a visit. From the Cathedral of Wine, a cellar filled with 150,000 bottles dating back to the time of Queen Isabella II up until the present day (85% is said to be drinkable), to the space age design of Frank Gehry’s metallic hotel, designed to mimic the windswept vineyards, it’s a site to behold.

The majority of Marques de Riscal’s 1,508 hectares (200 ha. of which are their own) are located in El Ciego, Alava, while the rest stretch out across the surrounding villages. Harvesting primarily the Tempranillo grape, additional plantings of Graciano, Mazuelo and Cabernet Sauvignon can also be found. Vines are approximately 5-15 years old for their Rose, 15-30 for their Reserva and 30+ for their Gran Reserva wines.

The original cellar built in 1858, is a monument to wine, with its windy and narrow, stone-covered hallways, cobweb decorated ceilings and inflused with a mesmorizing aroma of barrel aging. It’s everything you would imagine a historic cellar to feel like. But since that time, the winery has moved locations, in addition to three renovations in 1883, 1968 and 2000. Today, Marques de Riscal sells between 4.5 to 5 million bottles a year of which 60% is sold to 76 different countries around the world.

Wines Produced: Marqués de Riscal Rosado Joven; Bodegas Marqués de Riscal; Reserva; Gran Reserva; Barón de Chirél

Additional Articles on Winery:

Some of the Food Culture of La Rioja (warning may cause salivation)

An Aussie’s Take on Rioja Wine

The Catavino Rioja Epic Continues!

What is the Flavor of Rioja?

Address:Ctra. Huercanos s/n, 26350 Cenicero, La Rioja
Telephone: +34 941 454 446
administracion@martinezlaorden.com
www.martinezlaorden.com/

This is one winery I truly wished we had visited during our trip through Rioja. According to John Radford’s book on Rioja, this is one of the few family owned wineries that has taken a personal interest in lowering their carbon footprint. Not only did they construct their winery in 1994 out of renewable sources, but they have also been active in finding new and ingenious ways to minimize waste, including recycling and repurifying their water used in their cooling tanks. Grapes are harvested from 40 family owned hectares of clayey-ferrous soils in and around Cenicero and aged in 243 French and American oak barrels.

Wines Produced: La Orbe, Lanzado Crianza, Lanzado Tinto, Talud Tinto, Talud Rosado, Por Ti, Martinez Laorden Garnacha, A&A Blanco

Address: La Constitucion, s/n 01307 Samaniego, Alava (La Rioja)
Telephone: +34 945 609 022
Telephone: +34 945 622 188
fernando@remirezdeganuza.com
www.remirezdeganuza.com

Bodegas Fernando Remírez de Ganuza is perfectly, disguised in a small, sandstone pueblo called Sanmiego. With its sandstone walls, and modest wooden front door, it could easily pass as a quaint little home. But Fernando is far from conservative. In 1989, he slowly acquired the finest parcels of land as they came to market, whereby forming the solid foundation ones needs to make first rate wine. His goal was simple: to make the best wine in Rioja - a grand statement that one should not take lightly.

Now here’s where his passion to achieve this goal becomes more evident. Most people would: buy a bunch of equipment, hire a young enologist, buy second hand grapes and design a fancy label. Not Fernando. In his case, it went more like this:

1. Either find the best vineyards with the best vines available or wait until they became available.
2. Redesign all the winemaking equipment, so as to improve and innovate what already existed. Each tank, press and barrel is designed to his very own specifications.
3. Cut no corners when it comes to harvesting by picking the grapes as each bunch comes to full maturity.
4. Select incredible grapes - only the best for his premium blend. Going so far as to only use just the shoulders of the bunch. (Basically looking at the bunch as a triangle, he only selects the top half where the grapes are most concentrated for his premium blend.)
5. Rotate his oak fermentation vessels every two years for new ones.
6. Use his barrels only once for aging.
7. Oh and the fancy label!

Currently, Fernando owns over 53 hectares of land and 850+ barrels. To continue reading about Ryan’s tour of Bodegas Fernando Remírez de Ganuza, click here.

Wines Produced: Trasnocho, Reserva, Fincas de Ganuza, Erre Punto R. Blanco, Erre Punto R.

Gabriella

Ryan

Gabriella

Ryan

Gabriella

Ryan

Gabriella

Gabriella