Bodegas Faustino

Eleuterio Martínez Arzok founded Bodegas Faustino in 1861, buying a manor house and adjoining vineyards in the Rioja municipality of Oyón, where wine was made and sold directly from the barrel. Phylloxera struck the estate shortly after. With the help of his son, Faustino Martínez Pérez de Albéniz, the vineyards were reconstructed and the winery modernised, and the family began bottling its own wine for the first time. Early bottlings carried the names of vineyards, including Campillo, Santana, Famar and Viña Parrita. The third generation took over in 1957, and under Julio Faustino Martínez, Faustino was launched as an international brand. Exports began in the 1960s with a first shipment to Austria. The fourth generation now runs the winery, which is owned by Familia Martínez Zabala.

• 1861: Eleuterio Martínez Arzok buys a manor house and adjoining vineyards in Oyón
• After phylloxera: vineyards reconstructed with the help of Faustino Martínez Pérez de Albéniz; the family bottles its own wine for the first time
• 1957: the third generation takes over, under Julio Faustino Martínez
• 1964: the first bottles of Faustino I Gran Reserva, from the 1958 harvest, go on the market
• Today: run by the fourth generation; owned by Familia Martínez Zabala

As of March 2023, Carmen Martínez Zabala was president and Lourdes Martínez Zabala chief executive of Familia Martínez Zabala, the family group that owns Bodegas Faustino; Carmen Martínez Zabala was president when the new winery opened in September 2024. Julio Faustino Martínez was the third generation at the head of the winery and the creator of Faustino I. Juan José Diez González is winemaker at Bodegas Faustino and chief oenologist at Familia Martínez Zabala. An agricultural engineer with a degree in winemaking, he began as an assistant at the hopper and worked through all the positions in the winery and production before becoming winemaker.

• Carmen Martínez Zabala: president, Familia Martínez Zabala (March 2023 and September 2024)
• Lourdes Martínez Zabala: chief executive, Familia Martínez Zabala (March 2023)
• Julio Faustino Martínez: third generation at the head of the winery and creator of Faustino I
• Juan José Diez González: winemaker, Bodegas Faustino, and chief oenologist, Familia Martínez Zabala (October 2026)

Bodegas Faustino owns about 650 hectares of vineyards in the DOCa Rioja, and it is one of the largest owners of vineyards in Rioja. The holdings span Laguardia, Logroño, Mendavia and Oyón, and as of 2019 they supplied 50% of all Faustino production and 100% of its Gran Reserva and Reserva. The winery describes the land of Rioja Alavesa as a chalky-clay soil with an optimum microclimate. It uses precision viticulture to monitor canopy development in different areas within the same plot.

• About 650 hectares of vineyards; one of the largest vineyard owners in Rioja
• Holdings span Laguardia, Logroño, Mendavia and Oyón
• As of 2019, estate vineyards supplied 50% of all Faustino production and 100% of its Gran Reserva and Reserva
• Precision viticulture used to monitor canopy development within plots

Faustino I Gran Reserva was born in the 1960s: the first bottles, from the 1958 harvest, went on the market in 1964. The winery calls the name "a tribute from the third generation, to its founding father, whose name was Faustino." The label carries Rembrandt's 1641 portrait of Nicolaes Van Bambeek, and like the rest of the range the wine comes in a Burgundy-shaped frosted-glass bottle. The current presentation keeps the classic matt green capsule and adds a neck label reminiscent of a cigar band, recalling the cigars Don Julio used to smoke, along with a label tribute to Julio Faustino Martínez, "Legado de Don Julio." The wine starts from selected plots in Oyón and Laguardia for a classic Rioja blend of Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo, and it ages a minimum of 24 months in American and French oak barrels. By the winery's own figures, Faustino I is the best-selling DOCa Rioja Gran Reserva in the world, with nearly 40% of sales in its category. The winery also keeps a collection of old vintages dating back to 1955, available for purchase.

• First bottles, from the 1958 harvest, on the market in 1964
• Label: Rembrandt's 1641 portrait of Nicolaes Van Bambeek; Burgundy-shaped frosted-glass bottle
• Selected plots in Oyón and Laguardia; Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo
• Minimum 24 months in American and French oak barrels
• Old-vintage collection back to 1955, available for purchase

Each Faustino wine is labelled with a Roman numeral that indicates its level: I at the top, V in the middle and VII at entry level. The range covers reds, whites and rosés in Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva styles, along with Cava. Faustino V Red Reserva is a Tempranillo aged a minimum of 24 months in American oak barrels, and Faustino VII Red Wine is a Tempranillo made with controlled fermentation at 28ºC. Faustino I Blanco Gran Reserva blends Viura and Chardonnay and spends 6 to 8 months in new French and American oak barrels. Gran Faustino I Gran Reserva 2004 blends Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo and ages a minimum of 38 months in American and French oak barrels, while Faustino Icon Gran Reserva is a Tempranillo aged a minimum of 18 months in French oak barrels. In 2018 Faustino released Gran Faustino 1955, the 2,500 remaining bottles of a wine first launched to the market in 1963 after eight years of ageing.

• Numbering: I at the top, V in the middle, VII at entry level
• Faustino V Red Reserva: Tempranillo, minimum 24 months in American oak barrels
• Faustino VII Red Wine: Tempranillo, controlled fermentation at 28ºC
• Faustino I Blanco Gran Reserva: Viura and Chardonnay, 6 to 8 months in new French and American oak barrels
• Gran Faustino I Gran Reserva 2004: Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo, minimum 38 months in American and French oak barrels
• Faustino Icon Gran Reserva: Tempranillo, minimum 18 months in French oak barrels
• Cava Faustino Brut, Semi Seco and Extra Seco

Bodegas Faustino is owned by Familia Martínez Zabala, the family's wine group; in 2019 it operated as Grupo Faustino. The group has six wineries: Faustino, Campillo and Marqués de Vitoria in the DOCa Rioja, Portia in the DO Ribera del Duero, Valcarlos in the DO Navarra and Leganza in the DO La Mancha, with Faustino also producing under the DO Cava. It has more than 2,200 hectares of vineyards across six Spanish designations of origin and describes itself as the largest vineyard owner in Rioja. Its wines can be found in 140 countries.

• Six wineries: Faustino, Campillo and Marqués de Vitoria (DOCa Rioja), Portia (DO Ribera del Duero), Valcarlos (DO Navarra), Leganza (DO La Mancha)
• More than 2,200 hectares of vineyards across six Spanish designations of origin
• Operated as Grupo Faustino in 2019

Bodegas Faustino signed the agreement for El Legado de Bodegas Faustino (The Legacy of Bodegas Faustino) with Foster+Partners in November 2018, a project covering new visitor areas and buildings and the renovation of the existing winery. The first phase, begun and completed in 2022 and 2023, transformed the surroundings and refurbished interior and exterior spaces; it added a new vinification cellar for the production of high-quality white wines, vegetation cover on the facades and solar panels. The second phase, a new social building for visitors, was unveiled in April 2023 and begun in May 2023, and the complex was inaugurated in Oyón in September 2024. Its main structure is built from locally sourced larch wood from the Basque Country, and Norman Foster said the solar-generated winery "is making so much energy that 70% of it is diverted elsewhere on the site."

• November 2018: agreement signed with Foster+Partners
• 2022 and 2023: first phase, with a new vinification cellar for white wines and solar panels
• April and May 2023: second phase, a new social building for visitors, unveiled and begun
• September 2024: El Legado de Bodegas Faustino inaugurated in Oyón

Decanter's 2019 profile credits Bodegas Faustino with "a long commitment to the traditional style of the region's wines." The winery attributes its range to painstaking selection of grapes and "winemaking methods that combine tradition and innovation." Winemaker Juan José Diez González puts the vineyard first: "the most important thing is to be in the trenches, on the ground." In the winery's own tasting note, Faustino I Gran Reserva shows a ruby colour developing to maroon, a complex and elegant nose with wide fruity and spicy notes, and a long and silky finish.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.bodegasfaustino.com/en/history, https://www.bodegasfaustino.com/en/the-winery, https://www.bodegasfaustino.com/en/vineyards, https://www.bodegasfaustino.com/en/winemaker, https://www.bodegasfaustino.com/en/our-wines, https://www.bodegasfaustino.com/en/wines/faustino-i-gran-reserva, https://www.bodegasfaustino.com/faustinoI/index-en.html, https://www.bodegasfaustino.com/en/wines/gran-faustino-i-gran-reserva-2004, https://www.bodegasfaustino.com/en/wines/faustino-icon-gran-reserva, https://www.bodegasfaustino.com/en/wines/faustino-v-red-reserva, https://www.bodegasfaustino.com/en/wines/faustino-vii-red-wine, https://www.bodegasfaustino.com/en/wines/faustino-i-blanco-gran-reserva, https://www.bodegasfaustino.com/en/bodegas-faustino-legacy, https://www.bodegasfaustino.com/en/bodegas-faustino-and-foster-partners-the-legacy-of-bodegas-faustino. Owner group site (Familia Martínez Zabala): https://www.familiamartinezzabala.com/en/family, https://www.familiamartinezzabala.com/en/wineries-of-faustino. Secondary sources: Decanter (Georgie Hindle, last updated 16 July 2019) and The Drinks Business (Sarah Neish, 30 September 2024). Last verified 2026-10-18. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.