The wine company in the Spanish Rioja sub-region of Rioja Alavesa was founded in 1889 by Joaquin Martínez Bujanda with ten hectares of vineyards at the time. The old bodega, which has been replaced by a modern high-tech winery, is now a wine museum. The vineyards in Rioja cover a total of 480 hectares of own vineyards, which are mainly planted with the standard Rioja varieties Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Garnacha Tinta, Graciano and Viura, as well as Malvasía and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Riojas are produced in two different wineries and marketed under different labels.
Bodegas Valdemar
The parent winery Bodegas Valdemar in Oyón, which was opened in 1982, covers 400 hectares of vineyards in the Rioja Alavesa sub-region. There are 15,000 barrique barrels available for ageing. 3.5 million bottles of wine mature in the cellar vaults. The top wines (in red, rosé and white) are marketed under the "Conde de Valdemar" label. Other labels for the simpler wines are "Esencia Valdemar" and "Inspiracion Valdemar".
Finca Valpiedra
The Finca Valpiedra winery is located in the municipality of Fuenmayor in the Rioja Alta sub-region. It is a member of the producers' association "Grandes Pagos de España" (important Spanish single vineyards = contiguous vineyard area). It comprises 80 hectares of vineyards on a spectacular bend of the Ebro River. The newly built bodega was put into operation in 1999. There are 4,200 French oak barrels available for ageing. The red wine matures for 18 to 22 months in new barriques.
Finca Antigua
In 2003, after five years of planning and preparatory work, a new winery called Finca Antigua was officially opened next to the municipality of Los Hinojosos-Quintanar (Cuenca) in the DO area of La Mancha. It covers 1,000 hectares of land, 420 of which are under vines. The Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah varieties are cultivated. There are 5,000 barrique barrels available for ageing the wine.
