As part of its 125th anniversary celebrations, Bodegas Riojanas held with two food events; one in Mexico and another one in the United Kingdom. The celebrations to commemorate the founding of this historical winemaking firm were attended by clients, journalists, opinion leaders and representatives of various institutions. Both events offered superb Riojan cuisine offered by the Echapresto brothers from the Michelin star Venta Moncalvillo restaurant in Rioja. The menu was perfectly paired with Bodegas Riojanas wines, blending Mexican and British cuisines with the unique style of Riojan cuisine. The final surprise, to the delight of guests, was a tasting of a Monte Real of the iconic 1964 vintage —the best vintage in the history of Rioja in the opinion of many experts.
The President of Bodegas Riojanas, Luis Zapatero, and the General Manager, Santiago Frías, underscored the winery’s exporting focus since its foundation in 1890. In fact, Bodegas Riojanas was co-founder of the first Rioja Union of Exporting Wineries in 1907. Although Bodegas Riojanas began exporting many decades ago, an increased presence in its main markets is one of its main strategic objectives today. The wine cellar was created in Cenicero by the Frías and Artacho families at the end of the 19th century and has never ceased to be a family concern. Nonetheless, over the last decade it has applied a diversification strategy which has resulted in a range of top-quality wines from five different Spanish designations of origin.
The venues for the gastronomic celebrations were the Club Piso 51 de la Torre Mayor in Mexico and the The Vincent Rooms in Westminster Kingsway College, one of the most renowned schools in the United Kingdom, which this year celebrates its 105th anniversary. The students helped to prepare the menu and provide the dinner service. The chef Ignacio Echapresto explained that the choice of menus was carefully designed to ensure that the real protagonists should be the wines and the perfect way they paired with the different dishes. «I wanted to give each dish our personality, a Rioja identity, but also achieve a fusion with the cuisines of Mexico and the United Kingdom.»
