Bodegas Añadas
Bodegas Añadas a is perfect example of a bodega where technique is utilised to serve the needs of wine. The bodega started as a project where the first thing was to analyse all the factors that have an effect on tha quality of wine. Based on the results, the whole production was designed carefully all the way from the location of the vineyards, the newest production technology, controlling the fermentation, and bottling, to storage. Technical department controls the whole process from the growth of the grapes until the wines arrive to be sold in the stores.
Also the ecological point of view is taken into consideration. The bodega has a cleaning and recycling system of water, so that the water can be used for irrigation. The recycling and cleaning process is so advanced that the washing of devices is done with hot water alone without any dissolvents.
As a result of hard work the bodega has achieved various awards in wine competitions. For example the bodegas flagship XCLNT won a Grande Médaille d´Or in Brussels in 2006. In the same competition bodegas Chardonnay was rewarded with a Médaille d´Or.
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Bodegas Aragonesas
Bodegas Aragonesas stands among the wineries that have succeeded in combining mass production and quality. As the biggest producer in Campo de Borja it has 60% of the region´s wine production with its annual 7-million-liter production. Most of their vines are over 40-years-old Garnacha. For some special wines they have saved a few vines that have reached the respectful age of 100 years.
This bodega, which was founded in 1984, is a joint effort of two co-operative wineries and developement institute of the Aragonia region. Their products include both wine brands from the time of the co-operative wineries and a new brand, Coto de Hayas, which has achieved great attention with its good price-quality ratio. Under the brand name, there is a wide selection of different kinds of wines from cheap, fruity young red wines to sweet dessert wines that are made of Moscatell or Garnacha.
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Bodegas Balcona
One of the first bodegas in Bullas that have directed their energies towards enhancing the production and on the quality of their wines is Bodegas Balcona, which is located in the valley of Aceniche. It produces Monastrell-based blended wines of which already the first crianza in the year 1998 exceeded 90 points in the test of the American wine guru Robert Parker. After this the wines of Balcona have repeatedly been mentioned for their good price-quality ratio.
Balcona owns about a hundred hectares of land, but of it, only twelve carefully chosen hectares are cultivated. Micro climate of Aceniche Valley slows down the ripening of the grapes and helps the aromatic components to concentrate.
The harvest begins a month earlier than in the other regions of Murcia. The grapes are picked by hand and are taken in baskets to the production facilities that are situated below the vineyards. This guarantees that the grapes are undamaged. Besides the main variety, Monastrell, other varieties such as Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon are used to increase versatility and ability to age.
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Bodegas Barreda
The Barreda family, that is originally from the area Madrid has a centenarian tradition in wine production. The family has owned their land and cultivated vine and produced wines since 1642.
From 1976 onwards Juan de la Barreda Acedo-Rico has been in charge of the winery, and since then the bodega has gone through major changes. He has reformed the technology of the bodega and the aim has all the time been to produce wines of increasingly better quality. Persistent work began to fruit in the 90´s when Barreda´s wines were awarded prizes the first time.
Barreda’s wines are produced from grapes they grow themselves in their own land. The most frequently used variety is Tempranillo. Their oldest vines are 40 years old and they produce deep, rich and fruity wines.
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Bodegas Casa Castillo
Casa Castillo, which is one of the most significant Jumillan bodegas has become year by year more famous since its first harvest in the year 1991. The owner family began a project to produce quality wines in year 1985. Old buildings were reconstructed and supplied with modern devices.
The wines of Casa Castillo have been especially successful abroad, where 75% of the production is exported. Sale in Spain has so far been impeded by the bad reputation of the region of Jumilla from previous years. However, the situation is changing as such bodegas Casa Castillo continue to favorable critics and awards both in international and in domestic competitions.
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Bodegas Casa de la Ermita
Casa de la Ermita, which was founded in 1997, is among those few innovative producers that have made DO Jumilla one of the most interesting wine regions in Spain. Wines of the bodega have achieved fame in international competitions with their good price-quality ratio. The selections of Casa de la Ermita also include the first organic wine of the region.
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Bodegas Emilio Clemente
Bodegas Emilio Clemente, which was found in 1999, is one of the most succesful bodegas in the region of Utiel-Requena. The family Clemente owns altogether 2000 hectares of land,on which the most suitable place for each variety has been allotted after extensive research.
The bodegas oenologist Ignacio de Miguel has aimed to make the best possible choices regarding every factor that influences the quality and style of the wine, such as the soil, the varieties (Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot), the process of production and the origin of the oak barrels (Frances Allier, the Appalachians, USA).
The very first wine from Bodegas Emilio Clemente, Crianza 2001, was already intensively fruity, harmonic and elegantly toasted and an evidence of the excellent skills of the oenologists.
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Bodegas Ercavio
Bodegas Ercavio was founded by three oenologists who have a considerable amount of work experience around the world (South-Africa, Toscana) and in Spain (Barón de Ley among the others). They ended up in the home region of one of them, about 60 km east of Toledo, and decided to found a bodega after they noticed the region´s potential. Companions renovated an old family farm from the year 1851 and named their products “Ercavio” after the Roman town Ercávica.
Bodegas wines have achieved praising critics right after the first wines came on market in 1999.
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Bodegas Laus
An excellent example of the advanced Somontanon thinking is the newcomer Bodegas Laus that launched its first wines in 2005. The Bodega was created in 2002 as an ambitious project by Mariano Beroz. Beroz is the long-standing president of the local administrative bodyof the DO area (Consejo Regulador).
With the help of top-modern technology the quality of the wines has quickly reached the level of the regions most outstanding bodegas. Among Laus’s wines is for example one of Spain´s best rosé wines Flor de Merlot. When the project is finished there will be a centre of wine-tourism with a hotel, spa, restaurants and conference rooms on the bodegas lands.
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Bodega Marqués de Olivara
Bodega Marqués de Olivara was the first bodega with modern production technology in the region of Toro when it was founded in 1970. Today the bodega is owned by the Nueva Rumasa Group, which owns bodegas in various regions in Spain. After technological renovations by the groups, the bodega now comes up to a very standard. Their aim is for the wines of Marqués de Olivara to be considered an example of high quality throughout the world.
The American wine expert Robert Parker has predicted that the region of Toro will rise on a par with DO Rioja and DO Ribera del Duero and that the wines of Marqués de Olivara will become some of the world’s most wanted wines by the year 2015.
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Finca Museum
The pride of this Barón de Ley’s sister bodega is 50 hectares of vines, 60-100 years old.
Finca Museum is the most modern bodega in Cigales and it produces a fifth of all the wines in the region. The project that started at the bodega in 1999 is expected to take at least 40 years when the vines planted that year will be old enough to produce wine that fulfils the bodegas quality requirements.
The motto of this bodega, "strength and elegance", has been successfully incorporated into the two wines produced. Their balance between fruitiness and oak tells about long experience in producing wines that are aged in barrels. These and other less known wines of Cigales should be enjoyed now when the prices are still reasonable.
Bodegas Parés Baltà
The family Cusiné, who owns the bodega of Parés Baltà, is at the moment one of the most quality conscious Spanish wine producers. They produce with environmentally friendly methods wines that have been praised in various Spanish and international wine-publications.
Fertilisation of the vineyards is taken care of by the bodega’s own sheep and pollination by their own bees. This respectful attitude towards nature is also reflected in their wines, which are regarded as the peak of the region.
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Bodegas Parraldea
Bodegas Parraldea is a small family winery founded in 1995. They produce their wines using ecological processes. The bodega has brought a wind of change to the area by taking active part in the chain of production from the beginning to the end, unlike the co-operatives bodegas that still answer for 65% of the regions production.
When this bodega was founded the vines were planted in a carefully chosen area of 11 hectares using varieties (Tempranillo and Merlot among the others) that are especially well suited for the soil and the climate.
Bodegas Parraldea is located close to the town of Muruzábali near the border of Tierra Estella. The founder of the bodega, Miguel-Angel Martínez, bought an old family business and his aim was to produce quality wines in the valley of Valdizarbe, in central Navarra. The bodega produces three red wines which are matured in a medieval cellar deep under the ground. This bodega is a combination of the most modern technique and respect for the region´s viticultural traditions.
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Bodegas Peique
Bodegas Peique, which was founded in 2001 is a relatively new family business operated by three generations of family members. The company considers it a point of honor to respect rural traditions and the environment. At the same time they aim to achieve as high a quality as possible through innovations and modern production techniques.
The family say: "We are three generations that work actively in the wine cellar. We combine the spirit of our ancestors with the younger generation’s work experience and professional skills that have been obtained by means of academic education."
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Bodegas Piqueras
Bodegas Piqueras was founded in 1915 and their first bottled wine came out in 1961. Piqueras is the first bodega in the region of Almansa that obtained oak barrels for aging the wine. Piqueras also pioneered the production other kinds of wine than the ones with a high alcohol content which had been typical to the region.
The bodega reformed its operations in 2002 by removing their whole production to a new computer-programmed factory where they can produce modern, high-quality wines. Like many other modern Spanish wineries, also Piqueras export most of their production abroad.
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Adegas Valmiñor
Adegas Valmiñor, which is located in the O Rosal-valley, is an ultra-modern bodega founded in 1997. The bodega does not cultivate its own grapes but buys them from carefully chosen contract cultivators, basing their choices on type of soil, age of vines and direction of the vines. The grapes are mainly from two regions: Cambados, which is located on the cost and brings acidity and freshness to the wines, and from Arbo, where the micro climate is warmer compared with the other regions.
The main object of the bodega is to combine a respect of traditions with the most sophisticated technology without avoiding innovations.
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Vinos Jeromin
The most awarded bodega in the region of Madrid, Vinos Jeromin, was founded as long ago as in 1956. However, for a long time the company aimed at the mass production of cheap wines. In 1988 shortly before the region was granted DO status, which took place in 1990, the whole production was completely reformed and the object was to produce high-quality, bottled wines.
This bodega, located in Arganda, 50 hectares in size, pays an exceptionally great deal of attention to the factors that influence the quality of the wine. All the elements in the production chain are under regular control to ensure both chemical and sensory quality. All the grapes are picked by hand and transported in small boxes to production. This aims to minimize the possibility of an uncontrolled fermentation and oxidation of the grapes if their skins should get broken.
The bodega has also shown more profound understanding of marketing than many of its competitors. For example they have developed their own selection of products for the United States market to respond better to the local consumers´ expectations.
This understanding and perfectionism both in vinification and business have made Vinos Jeromín one of the most awarded bodegas in DO Vinos de Madrid. Over the years they have got several dozens of rewards both in Spain and abroad.
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