Bodega Cuatro Rayas – white hot ambition – Decanter

Last updated 20 September 2021 In Features

Cuatro Rayas is a winery on a mission. A mission to bust the myth that Verdejos from DO Rueda should be consumed within a year. And this year, Amador Diez Verdejo 2015 scored 97 points and a Platinum Medal as the best Rueda in the Decanter World Wine Awards 2021.

Established in 1935, Bodega Cuatro Rayas uses its expertise and knowledge of the DO to make wines that stand the test of time.

Winemaking at the bodega is influenced by a vast variety of vineyards – around 2,500ha – in more than 30 villages. In fact, a fifth of the oldest vineyards in DO Rueda belong to Cuatro Rayas and around 160ha are more than 40 years old, while 30ha are between 80 and 100 years old, and some are pre-phylloxera.

Amador Diez, named after the winery’s president as a tribute from the growers in the cooperative, represents a return to the origins of Rueda; a wine that respects the tradition and natural environment of the oldest vineyards. The Verdejo is produced using a selection of hand-harvested grapes from the best 10ha of pre-phylloxera vines, located in Segovia and Valladolid.

The wine is vinified with the aim of improving its longevity – and while it is ideal for drinking now, it also has excellent bottle-ageing potential. Not to mention a roster of gold and platinum medals to prove it.

Cooperative-members-in-the-first-decades-from-last-centuryWEB..jpg — Cooperative members from the early 20th century

Green credentials

Great wines rely on great respect for the land and its people. With its Green & Social label, Cuatro Rayas affirms the cooperative’s commitment to respect the environment and the people who live in it, through several measures including: financial transparency and ethical management, social involvement, quality, innovation and security for members, ecological management of crops, vegan winemaking and the reduction of the bodega’s carbon footprint. The company is also working to minimise its impact on the natural environment with measures such as lighter glass bottles and using recycled materials for packaging.