New: Valduero
One of Spain’s highest-achieving wine estates.
Bodegas Valduero is one of the most respected and innovative wineries in Spain, and has been leading the way in Ribera del Duero for almost 40 years. This family-owned-and-operated estate played a vital role in shaping the early days of Ribera del Duero, and has been producing some of the region’s most iconic wines ever since.
In 1984, Gregorio García Álvarez and his two daughters, Yolanda and Carolina García Viadero, joined forces to revive the family’s winemaking tradition. Each of the three had different and complementary skills: Gregorio was an industrial engineer, Yolanda an agricultural engineer, and Carolina held a degree in Art History and an MBA.
The family’s philosophy of wine production is centred on craftsmanship, art in each bottle, respect for their vineyards, low yield per vineyard, and the selection of bunches in the vineyard. They believe that time is critical, and their wines are aged patiently and for a long time in their cellars.
The vineyards are a crucial aspect of Bodega Valduero, and the company has approximately 140 hectares of vines located in two impressive sites in the Upper Ribera del Duero: the 90-hectare Gumiel de Mercado and the 46-hectare Villanueva de Gumiel. Both sites are now planted with Tinto Fino (the local name for Tempranillo), which, after some experimentation with other varieties, the family now recognizes as the “Queen of Ribera del Duero.”
The altitude of the vineyards is essential to their character. At 800m and 900m above sea level, they are among the highest in Ribera del Duero (and in Europe). This leads to significant differences between daytime and nighttime temperatures during the growing season, with hot sunny days and plunging temperatures to 14°C at night, which creates perfect conditions for shaping Valduero’s trademark mix of fruit intensity with freshness, elegance, and fine tannins.
The way the vineyards are managed is every bit as crucial as their location. From the beginning, the family understood that “you can’t take more from the earth than it can give.” To that end, they employ a sustainable, traditional form of viticulture, with low-planted, low-yielding bush vines, with the grapes harvested and carefully selected by hand.
Valduero’s commitment to sustainability continues into the family’s state-of-the-art winery, which was constructed to ensure almost zero external energy use. The winemaking approach is all about careful handling, sensitivity, and patience. The winery is arranged to allow grapes and wine to flow without pumps, and the grapes are pressed by the force of gravity.
The winery only produces wine in the best years and only at the Reserva and Gran Reserva level, and the family’s commitment to producing only the finest wines leads to certain restrictions. As the winery says, “All our wines pass time in more than one type of oak barrel. Time is one of our ingredients, and it allows us to assemble all the aromas and flavours at their source in the bottle.”
Valduero never releases a wine before it’s ready, and the aging process is longer than usual. Wines from 1989 and 1999 are among its current releases.
Bodegas Valduero has a portfolio of fine wines that has garnered the attention and praise of the world’s leading wine critics and the regular custom of A-list personalities. Cristiano Ronaldo, Mario Vargas Llosa, Ken Follet, Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada, and Plácido Domingo are all members of La Tenada, Valdeuro’s official social wine club – a fitting list of high-achieving customers for one of Spain’s highest-achieving wine estates.
Valduero wines are now available at aeclub.com.my.
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