Bodegas Riojanas treasures more than a century of winemaking tradition in its Cenicero winery. Its corners are steeped in history and talk of the passion for ageing wines that has always permeated it. This tradition and passion have been transmitted to the team that runs Bodegas Riojanas today. Its most precious legacy is its commitment to quality and the personality of its wines.
The Artacho family already enjoyed a deep-rooted winemaking tradition when it founded Bodegas Riojanas with Rafael Carreras in 1890. A reminder of that tradition can be found in the stone gateway that was built in 1799 to provide access to the family vineyards, which is now preserved at the entrance to the Cenicero winery and, especially, in the awards given to its wines prior to the foundation, such as the gold medal earned at the Barcelona Universal Exposition in 1888.
Bodegas Riojanas controls more than 300 hectares of the best vineyards in Cenicero, San Vicente de la Sonsierra and nearby municipalities. Rioja’s quintessential grape variety is Tempranillo, but Bodegas Riojanas also owns one of the largest surface areas dedicated to Mazuelo and Graciano in the Wine Region. These grape varieties bring more personality to the wines produced.
The different plots of vineyards are situated on clay-limestone soils of Miocene origin, suitable for producing the highest quality grapes.
The Cenicero winery was built taking advantage of a broad slope of land. The original building has undergone eight expansions. From an initial capacity of 500 barrels, 22 vats and 50,000 bottles, the facilities have grown to almost 26,000 barrels and 4,500,000 bottles. The current processing capacity is over 3,000,000 kg of grapes each harvest.
Bodegas Riojanas is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a programme of activities spanning 2015. This includes the presentation of new wines, such as the Viña Albina Blanco. The firm has turned into a dynamic winemaking group, present in seven designations of origin yet retains a marked family character under the leadership of the descendants of the founders.
