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All contents 1998 CIV (USA)
10419 Old Placerville Road, Suite 252
Sacramento, CA 95827 USA
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PRODUCER HIGHLIGHTS

Flash Report of Our Wines | Merchandising 101 | Features to Benefits | Overcoming Objections | Regional Managers | 10 Most FAQs


Bodegas Martínez Bujanda
(Valdemar, Conde de Valdemar, Martínez Bujanda)

Finca Valpiedra
(Finca Valpiedra Reserva)

Cavas Jaume Serra
(Cristalino Cava, Jaume Serra Wines, Jaume Serra Cavas)

Bodegas Salnesur
(Condes de Albarei Albariño)

Parxet, S.A.
(Marques de Alella, Tionio, Parxet Cavas)

Cosecheros Y Criadores
(Casa Solar)


Bodegas Martínez Bujanda (Valdemar, Conde de Valdemar, Martínez Bujanda)

  • Founded in 1889, the winery is located in the heart of Rioja Alavesa and currently owned by fourth and fifth generation members of the Martínez Bujanda family.
  • Largest Estate Winery in Rioja, with land holdings of 420 hectares (over 1,000 acres). Vineyards are spread throughout the three sub-regions of Rioja.
  • The winery has total control over time of harvest as it relates to the crush. Just before harvest, frequent tests determine the precise moment to begin picking in each vineyard area.
  • At crush, grapes damaged during transport from vineyard to winery are separated from the whole berries and this "accidental must," which very often is oxidized, is sold off to local producers. This results in a loss of 8-12% of the total crush from each harvest.
  • State-of-the-art production takes place in separate facilities:
  • Crush Room, Fermentation Tank Annex, Barrel Room, Bottling Area, Aging & Storage Room, Enoteca.
  • Air within the Fermentation annex is changed completely twice daily in order to prevent bacterial contamination.
  • Newly fermented juice is separated from must prior to transfer to holding tanks in order to prevent oxidation.
  • One of the driving forces behind the Rioja region's international rise to prominance by capturing traditional style and combining it with fresh, bold, fruit driven wines.
  • Pumping is done primarily by gravity for minimum effect on wines.

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Finca Valpiedra (Finca Valpiedra Reserva)

  • 200 Acre Single Vineyard Estate Winery built by the Martínez Bujanda family in 1994.
  • Ground breaking winery which introduced the concept of Terrior to a region where it is a general practice to blend grapes from all three Rioja sub-regions in most wines.
  • Situated on the banks of the Ebro River in the town of Fuen Mayor - Rioja Alta, Finca Valpiedra is located at altitudes ranging from 1330 to 1400 feet above sea level.
  • Old vines combine with ideal climatic conditions and a soil composition of sand and limestone. The vineyard consists of 90% Tempranillo with the balance made up of a combination of Mazuelo, Graciano and Cabernet Sauvignon and experimental varieties.
  • State-of-the-Art Facility, located in the vineyard allows for the shortest transport from vineyard to crush and the least manipulation of the grapes.
  • The philosophy of the family with this vineyard is to produce bold, complex winescapable of aging, but at the same time make wines which are enjoyable and easy to drink, not a labor to drink (as with so many modern wines which receive great "scores," but are so tannic and aggressive that finishing a bottle with a meal is actually work).
  • Shorter aging in new oak barrels and triple the traditional maceration time result in bolder, fruitier wines.

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Cavas Jaume Serra (Cristalino Cava, Jaume Serra Wines, Jaume Serra Cavas)

  • Located two miles from the Mediterranean Sea, where the climate is drier and steadier than the rest of the Penedés region.
  • Owned by J. Garcia Carrion, a family wine concern since 1890.
  • All red wines are Estate Bottled from vines which surround the winery. Cava and white wines are sourced from vineyards which the winery controls and maintains under long term contracts.
  • Cavas are aged in the cellar for up to 15 months longer than the nine months which is required by the D.O. Cava laws (nine months is the required minimum).
  • Utilize specially selected yeast imported from Champagne, France for all of our cavas. This results in a more delicate cava which is cleaner and has a brighter finish than others in the region.

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Bodegas Salnesur (Condes de Albarei Albariño)

  • Cooperative of 100 growers in and around Cambados, the richest area in Rías Baixas (Cambados is often referred to as "The Capital of Albariño). This makes Bodegas Salnesur a leader in quality production of Albariño as well as one of the largest producers - giving them a distinct price advantage in the region.
  • Built in 1988, the winery is a complete state-of-the-art facility. On-site laboratory helps the winery experiment with the Albariño varietal, continually pushing the limits (this experimentation has resulted in the highly acclaimed "Carballo Galego" barrel-fermented Albariño as well as "Enexbre" carbonic maceration Albariño).
  • Specializes only in wines of the Albariño varietal. Although lesser varietals are approved for blending in varying degrees, it is Albariño which gives the regions wines their complexity, character, personality and world-class appeal.
  • Fermentation takes place at slower temperatures, for longer periods of time, resulting in a more stabilized acidity and very little manipulation of sugar. The finish of the wines is cleaning and very true to the characteristics of the varietal.
  • Condes de Albarei Albariño was the first white wine from Spain to receive the coveted "Gold Medal" at Vinexpo, Bordeaux, France in 1991.

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Parxet, S.A. (Marques de Alella, Tionio, Parxet Cavas)

  • Founded in 1920, Parxet is the only quality winery in the D.O. Alella. The other two producers in the region are primarily bulk wineries.
  • Estate properties specializing in Parxet Cavas and Marques de Alella wines.
  • Single handedly elevated the Pansa Blanca (Xarel-lo) grape to a variety producing wines which challenge the highly regarded Albariño for fresh, crisp white wines made from one varietal (Xarel-lo is generally a blending grape for Cavas, which on its own, produces rather non-descript still wines).
  • Responsible for saving the entire Alella D.O. from the urban sprawl of Barcelona by paying land owners to keep vineyards planted and tending to the vineyards for them. Many times these land owners are convinced to keep vineyards even after they have built a house and the vineyards replace the typical family yard.
  • Climate in Alella is very stable because of the location between the Mediterranean Sea on one side, and the protection of mountains shielding the winds from the Atlantic on the other. Due to differences in climate as well as soil, Pansa Blanca produces wines of more potency than the same variety in nearby Penedés.
  • Their Alella vineyards are placed on southwest slopes of the mountains facing the sun to maximize the effects of the sun on acidity in the grapes.
  • This winery was the first in all of Spain to experiment with and bottle a white wine made entirely through the cold fermentation process without any influence of barrel aging.
  • Responsible for preserving the regions classical varietals and convincing the D.O. to change the requirement of wood aging the white wines from Alella.
  • Began producing Tionio red wines in Ribera del Duero with the completion of their new cellar in the town of Pesquera de Duero in 1996. Unlike the fashion of tremendous expansion in this region, they maintain a philosophy of artisan production from their own vineyards, producing limited quantities of only one type of wine each year.

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Cosecheros Y Criadores (Casa Solar)

  • Tremendous value wines produced by the Martínez Bujanda family from a combination of family vineyards and sourced grapes.
  • Original winery was built in the town of Oyón (Rioja Alavesa) in 1889, expanded in 1951 and completely renovated in 1993.
  • Winery philosophy is to push the envelope for value to consumers by combining the influence of 100 years of tradition with the wide range of grapes grown throughout the country and the most up to date technology.
  • Winery consists of four separate plants for winemaking, storage, bottling and aging.
  • 4,000 Bordeaux barrels of French and American oak and a capacity of 2 million bottle
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