Bodegas Riojanas winery

Bodegas Riojanas, founded in 1890, combines a century of wine culture in Cenicero (La Rioja). All its nooks and crannies are filled with history and passion for wine making and ageing. The care and concern taken in the wine elaboration is fruit of the Bodegas Riojana´s present team´s profound respect for the tradition and personality inherited from a century of quality commitent.

History:

The Artacho family already had deep roots in wine production when they founded Bodegas Riojanas with Rafael Carreras in 1890. These roots are shown in a stone door dated in 1799, which opens onto to the family vineyards, and in the treasured prizes won previously to 1890, such as a gold medal from the Universal Exposition in 1888.

The original winery was constructed by French technicians, who practically reconstructed a “chateau” . They remained at the installation and directed the wine making and ageing until l933.

The Artacho family acquired the entire company from Rafael Carreras´s widow in 1930. They repositioned its activity from bulk sales to bottled wines, with special focus
on Reserva and Gran Reserva. Some other vineyards, including both the Albina and Monte Real, were acquired around that time and these two names were given to Bodegas Riojanas’ most well-known wines.

The Corporation was formed in 1940 and since then a number of installation enlargements have been carried out in Cenicero, the most recent being the construction of a new wine cellar in another prestigious wine cultivating locale inside the Rioja Alto called San Vicente de la Sonsierra. This new winery had the capacity to elaborate 1.500.000 kgs.of grapes per year and a depository of 5.000 casks.