Vega Sicilia to release Rioja wine

Vega Sicilia: now in Rioja

In a landmark move for the Ribera del Deuro property, managing director Pablo Alvarez has revealed the wine is a joint venture with the Rothschild family.

He has worked closely with Benjamin Rothschild, chairman of the Edmond de Rothschild private banking group and distant cousin of the winemaking side of the family, since 2008.

‘Benjamin Rothschild has a long-standing interest in the region, so working together seemed natural. We wanted to produce a balanced Rioja, merging tradition and modernity but without an emphasis on power and over-extraction’, Alvarez said.

‘I am not a fan of these super ripe and over-extracted Riojan wines’, he added.

Their joint enterprise, simply entitled Benjamin Rothschild and Vega Sicilia, purchased over 100 hectares of vineyards in 2008-09, in the area around San Vicente de la Sonsierra between Haro and Laguardia.

The 2009, 2010 and 2011 vintages have been produced at a rented winery facility, located near Laguardia.

Pablo Alvarez told Decanter.com the company is in the process of constructing a winery in Samaniego, scheduled to be completed by early summer 2012 and located in the Rioja Alavesa sub-region of the appellation.

The wine itself has yet to be given a name.

‘In addition to building our winery, an urgent priority is to decide on a brand name for our wine. I hope that in the next three months we can reach a decision,’ Alvarez said.

The 2009 vintage will be available commercially in spring 2012.