Remirez de Ganuza, a wine paradise in La Rioja
The vineyards consist of more than eighty hectares of tempranillo, graciano, viura, and malvasía. They are spread across six locations in the Sierra Cantabria: Samaniego, Leza, Elciego, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Laguardia, and Ábalos, in Rioja Alavesa. For their selection, habitat, microclimate, orientation of the plots, low productivity of the vines, and age of the vineyard have all been taken into account, with the average age of the vines being fifty years. This extensive land area allows them to be self-sufficient in high-quality grapes.

Technical Details

Winery: Own Vineyards, at Bodegas Fernando Remírez de Ganuza, Samaniego (Rioja Alavesa).
D.O.Ca. La RiojaAlcohol content: 13.5%
Variety: 80% Viura, 20% Malvasía, White Grenache
Tasting notes: Pale and bright yellow color.
On the nose: Subtle and fragrant nose, delicate and mineral, with fresh notes of aromatic herbs and menthol, stone and citrus fruits.
On the palate: Tasty, with volume, balanced, and a fine structure. It has a long and fresh finish, with salty hints, spicy notes, accompanied by fine touches of creamy oak.
Serving temperature: 7-10ºC
Winemaking: The Vineyards are located in the Sierra Cantabria. The vineyards have an average age of 60 years.
During the harvest, the first selection of grapes is made. Only the clusters that meet the highest quality standards are used for the production of their wines, discarding the rest of the harvest for not meeting the required conditions. Their goal is to only pick mature and healthy grapes, those that come from vines in perfect leaf condition.
The grapes are harvested manually in 12-kilogram boxes, ensuring their perfect condition during transport to the winery. Once there, the freshly harvested grapes are stored in refrigeration chambers at a temperature between 4 and 6 degrees, and are selected on tables and processed with the free-run juice (unpressed grape) extracted by a rotary tank.
The wine has been aged on its lees for 10 months in new French oak barrels. "Batonage" (lees work) is practiced to achieve greater complexity through the rotation of the barrels.
Pairing: at Made in Spain Gourmet we recommend it with grilled vegetables, 100% acorn-fed Iberian cured meats, pickles; and also with meats such as Iberian pork and free-range chicken. Highly recommended with seafood paella, salted fish, and blue fish.
A traditional winery with avant-garde production
You will find Remirez de Ganuza in the center of Samaniego, a beautiful medieval village at the foot of the Sierra de Toloño. Of medieval origin, it retains its appearance as a fortified village visible in many of its buildings and especially in the 16th-century Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, built next to one of the four towers that defended the village.
The Remirez de Ganuza winery, as mentioned before, is located in the center of Samaniego, Álava. It is formed by a block of buildings, old village houses, composed of modern reinforced concrete structures covered with ancient ashlar, integrating thus into the local traditional architecture.
Around a large central courtyard crossed by a natural water channel, the different buildings that structure the winery are dedicated to the different phases of wine production, such as the barrel area, the bottle racks, the cold rooms, or the selection area.
The traditional architecture of the winery, highlighted by the interior roof formed by centuries-old oak beams, contrasts with one of the most avant-garde and innovative production methods of the moment.
La Rioja Alavesa: the elite of Rioja wines
Rioja Alavesa is classified as a subzone in the Rioja Qualified Designation of Origin. It has 13,500 hectares of vineyards and several hundred wineries, resulting in an annual average of around 40 million liters of wine.
The area produces especially red wines with specific general characteristics, such as a bright and lively color, a fine aroma, a fruity flavor,