La Rioja Alta S.A. - Viña Arana Reserva

Onshore Cellars - ICONIC Producer

La Rioja Alta S.A. was founded in 1890 by five Riojan and Basque families who shared the same passion for wine. A quality orientated producer, the company remains true to the traditional method of making Rioja - using American oak barrels which are made in their own cooperage, racking by candlelight and only releasing the wines onto the market when they are ready to drink.

The company has 300 hectares of vineyards in the best zones of Rioja. With more than 50,000 casks and 6.4 million bottles stored at any one time, the equivalent of about 8 years sales, La Rioja Alta S.A. is unique in its ability to supply large quantities of fully mature wines of world class quality.

Gran Reserva 890 sits at the top of a range of Rioja including the wineries flagship brand, Viña Ardanza, which since its creation in 1941 is the wine that has earned La Rioja Alta S.A. the most fame and renown.

With its beautiful rolling landscapes, medieval hamlets and exquisite wines, La Rioja is Spain’s Tuscany. The wine country is sub divided into three regions-

Rioja Alta (where most of the oldest wine “chateaux” are located in and around Haro).

Rioja Alavesa (which also belongs geographically to the Basque Country, and is home to some of the prettiest hamlets like Laguardia and Samaniego)

Rioja Baja (further southeast, a larger, more arid region whose main hub is Calahorra, and where you will find some of the largest dinosaur prints in Europe).

The flagship grape of Rioja is the noble Tempranillo, used to create delicious reds and blended with other regional grapes like Mazuelo, Garnacha Tinta, and Graciano. The Viura (also known as Macabeo) is the main white grape, often blended with Garnacha Blanca to create rich dry white wines. Food and wine lovers will be in heaven in Rioja, with soul satisfying dishes on offer like baby lamb chops roast over grape vines, velvety bean and slightly spicy chorizo stews, sautéed vegetable “menestras” and more.