Five things to know about Campo Viejo

It's one of the best-known names in Rioja, but here are five things that might surprise you about Campo Viejo

1. Invented the iconic ‘Rioja bottle’

José Ortigüela founded Campo Viejo as a premium Rioja brand in 1959, but he soon realised that a new kind of bottle was needed to reflect its bold and elegant style.

In 1961 Campo Viejo launched the classic Rioja bottle that has become a symbol of Spanish wine, gracing tables in over 50 countries around the world.

2. Carbon neutral pioneers

In 2012 Campo Viejo became the first Spanish winery to be certified as carbon neutral, leading the country’s wine industry towards a more sustainable future.

From cutting energy and water consumption to reusing organic by-products and protecting wildlife — Campo Viejo’s team work tirelessly to preserve the Rioja wine landscape for generations to come.

3. Winemakers led by women

Campo Viejo’s award-winning wines are made by a blend of three leading Rioja winemakers who happen to be women: Logroño-born Elena Adell has been the winemaking director since 1998, she is an expert agronomist who is dedicated to protecting quality and the environment. Passionate and innovative Clara Canals joined the winemaking team in 2011 after studying in France, South Africa and New Zealand.

Trained in both pharmacology and oenology, Campo Viejo’s newest winemaker Irene Perez combines scientific expertise with artistic creativity.

4. Underground winery

Campo Viejo has a cutting-edge winery with one unusual distinction – it is built almost entirely underground.

Not far from Rioja’s capital city, Logroño, the vast hidden winery has been constructed 20 metres beneath the earth’s surface, including barrel rooms and maturation cellars.

Aside from extraordinary architecture, the underground location provides natural insulation to keep temperatures constant, removing the need for an energy-guzzling cooling system.

5. A unique small batch experimental winery

Besides the main winery, Campo Viejo designed a specialised research centre where its winemaking team can study old traditions and shape the future of Rioja wines.

The team trials new grape varieties and winemaking techniques to find fresh expressions of the regional styles.

It was here that Campo Viejo created their trailblazing Tempranillo Blanco wine, bringing a lesser-known yet indigenous varietal to an overseas audience.