Marqués de Riscal

Herederos del Marqués de Riscal was founded in 1858 by Camilo Hurtado de Amézaga, 6th Marquess of Riscal, who had inherited wineries in Elciego from his family. Living in Bordeaux, he was commissioned by the Provincial Council of Álava to hire an oenologist who could teach Médoc techniques to Rioja growers. The chosen expert was Jean Pineau, cellar master of Château Lanessan in the Haut-Médoc, who moved to Álava to show producers how to vinify wines for aging. Hurtado sent 9,000 vine cuttings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Pinot Noir to the Rioja Alavesa for experimental planting alongside the indigenous Tempranillo and Graciano. In 1862, under Pineau's guidance, the winery produced the first Rioja wine ever sold in bottle, a milestone that opened Spanish wine to quality export markets. In 1883, commercial success prompted construction of a second cellar, El Palomar, built in the style of the Bordeaux chais.

• Founder Camilo Hurtado de Amézaga hired Jean Pineau of Château Lanessan in 1858 to introduce Bordeaux-style barrique aging to Rioja Alavesa.
• The 1862 vintage was the first wine from Rioja sold in bottles, representing a revolutionary step toward quality export production.
• Construction of a second cellar, El Palomar, began in 1883 as commercial success demanded expansion.

Marqués de Riscal earned international recognition almost immediately. At the 1895 edition of the International Exposition of Bordeaux, the winery became the first non-French bodega to receive the Diploma of Honor, a distinction that elevated Rioja's reputation decades before the region modernized at scale. These early awards, along with honors at exhibitions in Bayonne, Dublin, Paris, and Vienna, have been proudly displayed on Riscal labels ever since. The winery's historic cellar holds over 140,000 bottles dating to 1860, the largest archive cellar of its kind in Europe. In 2024, Marqués de Riscal was named World's Best Vineyard and Best Vineyard in Europe in the World's Best Vineyards competition, after three consecutive years ranked in the global top ten. The winery exports to over 110 countries and produces more than 7 million bottles of red and white wine annually.

• First non-French winery to receive the Diploma of Honor at the International Exposition of Bordeaux, in 1895.
• Archive cellar holds over 140,000 bottles dating to 1860, the largest historical wine collection of its kind in Europe.
• Named World's Best Vineyard and Best Vineyard in Europe at World's Best Vineyards 2024.

Marqués de Riscal's home base in Rioja Alavesa is characterized by clay-limestone soils that favor finesse and acidity in its Tempranillo-based reds. The estate controls more than 1,500 hectares of vineyards in Rioja, with the core estate near Elciego comprising around 500 hectares. Barón de Chirel is sourced from five specific old-vine parcels, including Garcimoracho, Tapias, San Pelayo, Vialva, and La Collada, all situated between 450 and 550 meters above sea level on chalky clay and gravelly terraces over limestone bedrock. In Rueda, Riscal was the first winery to establish a bodega, in 1972, and now owns approximately 225 hectares, all certified organic since 2018, making it the largest estate holder in the Denominación de Origen Rueda. The winery introduced Sauvignon Blanc to Rueda in 1974 and today manages 70 hectares of this variety alongside its Verdejo plantings.

• Barón de Chirel comes from five named parcels at 450 to 550 meters elevation around Elciego, on chalky clay and gravelly soils over limestone bedrock.
• Riscal was the first winery to establish a bodega in DO Rueda (1972) and remains the largest estate holder in the appellation, with approximately 225 organic-certified hectares.
• Sauvignon Blanc was introduced to Rueda by Riscal in 1974; the bodega now farms 70 hectares of this variety, one of the varieties authorised by the DO.

The Marqués de Riscal Reserva is the winery's most iconic label and one of the most widely distributed Rioja wines in the world, sold in over 100 countries. It is made exclusively from Tempranillo vines planted before the 1970s, grown in clay-limestone soils of the Rioja Alavesa, with Graciano for freshness and structure. The Arienzo Crianza is made entirely from Rioja Alavesa Tempranillo and holds the distinction of being Riscal's first Vino de Zona. Barón de Chirel, first produced in 1986, blends high-altitude Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon from 80 to 110-year-old vines and is aged 20 months in French oak; it is made only in the finest vintages. The XR Reserva, first released with the 2015 vintage, pays tribute to the historic practice of marking exceptional barrels with the letters 'XR' for 'Extra Reserva'; it blends Tempranillo with Graciano aged in American oak for over two years.

• Reserva is made exclusively from pre-1970s Tempranillo vines on clay-limestone soils of the Rioja Alavesa, with Graciano; sold in over 100 countries.
• Barón de Chirel (first vintage 1986) blends Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon from 80 to 110-year-old vines at 450 to 550 meters elevation, aged 20 months in French oak, made only in exceptional vintages.
• XR Reserva (first released 2015) revives the bodega's historic 19th-century tradition of marking the finest barrels with 'XR' for Extra Reserva; aged in American oak for over two years.

One of Marqués de Riscal's most distinctive traditions was the golden wire mesh, or malla, wrapped around every bottle as an anti-counterfeiting device. The practice began in the early days of the winery's commercial success, when the popularity of its wines made refilling a tempting proposition for fraudsters. The mesh, sealed with wax, guaranteed that bottles were genuine and had not been tampered with after leaving the bodega. The custom became synonymous with quality and cellaring potential across Rioja and inspired other Spanish producers to adopt similar measures. In a significant sustainability decision, Riscal has since removed the iconic gold netting from its Reserva bottles, replacing tradition with a commitment to reducing packaging waste. As the winery itself noted: in its time, to use the netting was an innovation, and today the innovation is not to use it.

• Golden wire mesh (malla) was introduced as an anti-counterfeiting device in the early decades of the winery, becoming a Rioja-wide symbol of authenticity and ageing potential.
• The mesh and wax seal guaranteed that bottles were genuine and unaltered from the moment they left the bodega.
• Riscal removed the gold netting from its Reserva bottles as part of its sustainability strategy, framing the removal as a bold modern innovation consistent with its pioneering history.

In 2006, Marqués de Riscal transformed its Elciego estate into the City of Wine, a complex integrating historic and modern cellars, vineyards, a conference centre, and the Frank Gehry-designed Hotel Marqués de Riscal. The hotel's titanium canopies, coloured in pink, gold, and silver to evoke red wine, the bottle mesh, and the capsule, have made it an architectural landmark comparable to Gehry's Guggenheim Bilbao. The complex includes a fine dining restaurant overseen by Riojan chef Francis Paniego and a Spa Vinothérapie Caudalie. The estate draws more than 100,000 visitors each year. In parallel, the winery has pursued an extensive organic program: all of its estate-owned vineyards in DO Rueda received organic certification in 2018. Riscal markets wines across four denominations: DOCa Rioja, DO Rueda, Vinos de la Tierra de Castilla y León, and, through its Tapias de Marqués de Riscal wine, the prestigious La Place de Bordeaux distribution network.

• City of Wine opened in 2006 in Elciego; the Frank Gehry-designed hotel is clad in titanium panels coloured pink, gold, and silver, mirroring the winery's bottle, mesh, and capsule.
• All estate-owned DO Rueda vineyards received organic certification in 2018; the bodega continues to expand organic and regenerative farming across its Rioja holdings.
• Tapias de Marqués de Riscal is sold exclusively through La Place de Bordeaux, reconnecting the winery with the French distribution network its founder used in the 19th century.