HARO, LA RIOJA, Spain, April 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — La Rioja Alta, S.A., the Spanish wine brand of unmistakable quality, was recently named the world’s fourth most admired wine brand by Drinks International. The World’s Most Admired Wine Brands is a listing of the 50 most prestigious wine companies in the world. The company experienced the highest rise on the list this year, advancing 46 positions and earning the award of “Highest Climber,” a testament to their ongoing commitment to honor their exclusive wines, style, and brand.
The accolade comes as La Rioja Alta, S.A. announced their expansion into Rioja Alavesa with the purchase of “old vine” vineyards in excellent locations, primarily on slopes. They call these vineyards, “Viñedos Artesanales,” and they have already acquired 35 hectares (86 acres) with a minimum age of 45 years. They plan to continue to increase vineyard acquisition to potentially 75 hectares (185 acres) by the end of 2022.
“We are buying very old vineyards, pruned in the traditional way with very low production, some of which are field blends,” said Guillermo de Aranzabal Bittner, 6th Generation of the 131-year-old winery. “One of the key elements for improving quality is to buy the best vineyards, in order to reject more grapes,” de Aranzabal continued. “The other key element is technology: R&D, modern soil studies, laboratory improvements and new pruning techniques.”
After the last harvest, they fermented the grapes at Torre de Oña under the guidance of their winemakers, Julio Sáenz and Alejandro López. They plan to use the wines to improve Gran Reserva 890 and Gran Reserva 904. There is also a possibility that they will launch a new, small portfolio of these single-vineyard wines at Torre de Oña.
La Rioja Alta, S.A. is currently building a small fermentation facility at Torre de Oña to better select grapes from the new vineyards. The facility will feature nine small tanks of 6,000 liters each to better understand each plot and it is expected to be ready for this year’s harvest.
As the demand for La Rioja Alta, S.A. wines continues to grow, they have found that the only way to increase production and to meet demand is to start new projects. They continue to achieve the excellence they are known for by combining traditional vineyards with modern technology.
La Rioja Alta, S.A., like others, is running into supply and demand issues, with demand for their exceptional wines higher than ever. But they will not sacrifice quality and sell premature vintages to their consumers. Despite the 30% increase in exports within the last year, they vow to continue on their path to always put their brand values and style first. If a new vintage is not ready and needs more time in the bottle, then the iconic brand and its dedicated clientele, must wait a little longer.
SOURCE La Rioja Alta, S.A.
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