The institutional event bought together more than 200 guests in the Cenicero winery and featured a spectacular tasting of old vintages.
The commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the founding of Bodegas Riojanas in its hundred-year-old facilities was held in an optimistic atmosphere, reflecting the wine group’s current expansion.The historic firm set up by the Frías and Artacho families in the 19th century has followed an expansion strategy over the last decade. It currently offers top quality wines from seven Spanish designations of origin and actively pursues an internationalisation policy.“Bodegas Riojanas is an example to follow,” said La Rioja President Jose Ignacio Ceniceros, “because it has linked past and future, contributing to maintain the leadership of a wine region which has turned excellence and unity into its core strengths to compete successfully.”“The seed sown 125 years ago by Román and Fortunato Artacho has resulted in one of the cathedrals of Rioja wine and a great wine group which maintains its family personality,” concluded Ceniceros.
Bodegas Riojanas president Luis Zapatero stressed in his speech that “quality, research and internationalisation are the keys to success in a context of growing globalisation.”Although Bodegas Riojanas began exporting many decades ago —it was in fact one of the founders of the Rioja Exporting Wineries Syndicate in 1907— an increased presence in international markets is today one of its main strategic objectives.For Luis Zapatero, Spanish wines are going to play a leading role in the 21st century, with a widespread quantum leap in quality which offers great opportunities for all, including Rioja.A good example of this are the figures provided by the President of Bodegas Riojanas on the progress of the Group’s exports. A 12 percent growth in the first nine months of this year, coupled with a substantial improvement in sales in all the designations where it is present, has increased profits by 58.8% compared to the same period last year.As regards the expansion of the group, Luis Zapatero recalled the recent acquisition of the majority shares of Bodegas Veiga Naum in Rías Baixas and the current construction of Bodegas Viore in Rueda, which come in addition to Bodegas Torreduero, founded in Toro in 1998, and the century-old winery in Rioja.
The institutional event was attended by authorities and representatives of institutions in the autonomous communities of La Rioja, Castile Leon and Galicia, winery clients and suppliers, and journalists and opinion leaders, who had the opportunity to participate in a tasting of historic vintages (1942, 1955, 1964, 1970 and 1986), which left no doubt about the uniqueness of these wines in the world and the history of quality which has forged the winery’s reputation
