Vega Sicilia

Bodegas Vega Sicilia is a Spanish winery in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. The vineyards of the estate are located in the wine region of Ribera del Duero, which has the status of a Denominacion de Origen.

The Alvarez family, the current owners of the estate, is a member of the Association Primum Familiae Vini.

The wines

Currently has Vega Sicilia over a land of nearly 1000 acres; about 240 acres are devoted to growing grapes. In one study, it was determined that can be divided into 19 types, the viticulture dedicated floors. The best vineyards are situated on north facing slopes. However, the winery also has acreage on the alluvial valley floor. Among the cultivated varieties of Tempranillo (in the north of Spain, also known as Tinto Fino or Tinto Pais ) the leading variety. Tempranillo is supplemented by the addition of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Carmenère and a small proportion of the white variety Albillo.

Vega Sicilia offers three wines:

  • Vega Sicilia Unico Reserva Especial is the most exclusive and wine is a blend of several vintages.
  • Vega Sicilia Unico Gran Reserva is a vintage wine marketed at the earliest after ten years of development. The blend consists of at least 80 % Tempranillo and is supplemented by the addition of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot and a small proportion of white Albillo Vine. The alcoholic fermentation takes place in wooden vats. After malolactic fermentation, the wine rests for half a year. By means of a sensory examination only the best barrels are chosen as the basis for further processing. Add new barriques of French oak of nearly two years of development takes place. Then the wine is aged in barrels previously used for predominantly American oak at least five years. After removing the unfiltered wine is aged for at least three years in bottle before it is marketed.
  • Valbuena 5 ° Vega Sicilia second wine. In general, younger varieties are chosen for production of this wine. Is in years in which the Unico lack of quality off the hook (for example, in the years 1992, 1997, 2000 and 2001 ) and its vine material flows in the generation of Valbuena. The Valbuena is brought only in the fifth year after the harvest to the market, a fact which is expressed by the suffix 5 °. A quality that was marketed after three years, the Valbuena 3 °, is no longer offered for several years.

History

In 1848 (other sources speak of 1842 ) acquired the Basque landowner Don Toribio Lecanda the 2,000 acres of land Pago de la Vega Santa Cecilia y Carrascal from insolvent Marqués de Valbuena de Duero. The name of the property was later shortened to Vega Sicilia.

First, the property was used for agricultural purposes and only Don Lecandas son, Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves, who took over the entire property on June 22, 1859 founded in 1864 the winery. In Bordeaux he acquired in the prestigious nursery Beguerie 18,000 young seedlings of the varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec, Merlot and Pinot Noir. However, the production went down in base wines for the production of spirits and Ratafia. Although its products have a good reputation and Don Lecanda has established itself as a supplier of the royal court ( he received in 1880, the Grand Cross of the Orden de Isabel la Católica ), he came into financial difficulties in 1888. As a partner, he took Pascual Herrero Bux and Emilia Coca Aguirre, his wife, into the management board. Pascual Herrero had at that time already more than 80% of the company shares. His son, Antonio Herrero Velázquez bought in 1903 and the remainder of the shares. The estate he leased from Cosme Palacio, a wine from Rioja. Beginning of the 20th century Rioja victims of phylloxera and Palacio looking for alternatives to maintain the wine business. The daily business of Vega Sicilia, he left his winemaker Domingo Garramiola (1878-1933) (also called Txomin ). The trained winemaker continued his ideas of a modern winemaking immediately to, renewed the storage casks and laid great emphasis on hygiene.

With the vintage 1915 or 1917 Garramiola first set out those wines that established the international reputation of the winery. The Herrero brothers gave away in the early days of the bottles to friendly aristocrats and members of the royal court, and thus ensured the rapid spread of the reputation of Vega Sicilia. It can be assumed that was brought as anonymous drums after Rioja, the largest proportion of the wines and was sold there under the internationally -known domain names. After the phylloxera crisis was overcome in Rioja, Garramiola remained at Vega Sicilia and led the bottling one on the estate. A wide audience was the wine known as the vintages 1917 and 1918 received important prizes at wine exhibitions. As a turning point of the awards Exposició Internacional de Barcelona apply in 1929.

As Garramiola died in 1933, took over his longtime assistant Martiniano Renedo responsibility in winemaking. However, the brothers attended Herrero not sure the production was expanded to its reputation accordingly. In 1952 they sold the property to the Prodes. Four years later, Jesús Anadón entered the service of Vega Sicilia. He took both the responsibility in the basement as well as for the daily operations. As director of the house, he sat down heavily for the foundation of the Designation of Origin Ribera del Duero. Anadón remained on duty when Miguel Neumann Swaton, one emigrated to Venezuela in 1935, industrialist Vega Sicilia acquired in 1966.

1982 David Alvarez bought the winery. After Jesús Anadón retired in 1985 led Pablo Alvarez the fortunes of Good and put Mariano García, who has worked since 1968 at the winery, cellar master one. The Alvarez family invested heavily in the modernization of the cellar and in the appreciation of the vineyards, which were also significantly expanded.

Since the year 1992, the family is also expanding in other wine regions. First, she founded the winery Bodegas Alión and a year later the Hungarian Tokaj Tokaj Oremus Winery was born. In 2001, the family founded the winery in the region Pintia Toro. In 2010, it was announced that Vega Sicilia builds together with Benjamin de Rothschild, one of the owners of Bordeaux Château Lafite -Rothschild, a winery in Rioja. To this end, the partners acquired approximately 110 acres of vineyards in San Vicente de la Sonsierra. The first wines to be available from 2012.

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