Bodegas Amézola de la Mora
The Amézola de la Mora family vineyard originated in the 19th century. Already then it enjoyed a good reputation in large parts of the country. With the appearance of the dreaded phylloxera plague, however, production unfortunately came to an end. In 1986, Iñigo Amézola de la Mora brought the family estate back to life.
María and Cristina, the daughters of Iñigo Amézola, who unfortunately died too early, now lead the family estate into the future as a young generation with gentle innovation, without neglecting the deeply rooted traditions. Torremontalbo is the name of the hamlet at a crossroads with as many as four houses. The bodega, not far away, is connected to an underground tunnel. 60 hectares of vineyards spread over at 600 to 700 metres above sea level around the bodega, which is built on a gentle hill. The view sweeps over the wide valley of the Ebro, from the Rioja Alta to the Rioja Alavesa on the other side of the river.
Red wines from Bodegas Amézola de la Mora
from Bodegas Amézola de la Mora
The soils in the Rioja Alta are predominantly loamy-calcareous. The subsoil contains sand and large chunks of lime, as one soil profile showed. They serve as water reservoirs for the long dry summer periods. In winter, the Cantabrian Mountains in the north protect from cold northern winds. Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo, some of which are over 40 years old, are harvested by hand and traditionally vinified in steel tanks without temperature regulation. The pressing is carried out gently with old basket presses. The ageing takes place mainly in used barrels. The results are delicate, traditional, classically elegant Riojas, which only leave the winery after longer storage in barrels and bottles than required by law, so that they do not require further storage in your cellar and are immediately ready to drink.
Producer
Bladnoch Distillery
Founded in 1817, Bladnoch is one of Scotland's oldest distilleries with over 200 years of eventful history and has always been privately owned. It is nestled between lush green meadows in the county of Dumfries & Galloway, making it the most southerly distillery in the country.
Bodegas Ribas
We could talk about our winery of the year, Bodega Ribas on Mallorca, all day long. But it's best to see and read for yourself! We sent wine journalist Britta Wiegelmann and cameraman Felix Groteloh to experience the winery and the family at first hand. Araceli and Javier Servera Ribas, the brother and sister team behind the wines, tell us how the oldest existing winery on the island survived phylloxera, why they love their local grape, the Mantonegro, so much and what the sea has to do with it all.
Elias Mora
The bodega was founded in 2000 by Victoria Benavides and the name of the winery honours the former owner of the vineyards: Elías Mora. The oenologist is one of Spain's undisputed winegrowers.