Ramón Bilbao – Celebrating 100 years

Published 7 November 2024 In Features

In 2024 Ramón Bilbao turns 100. Rather than simply celebrating its past, the company is looking determinedly to the future. From the beginning, when Ramón Bilbao Murga opened his first winery in Haro in 1924, the company’s activities have been driven by a spirit of curiosity grounded in quality.

Mirto is produced only in exceptional years, from a special selection of old Tempranillo vineyards in specific villages across Rioja Alta.

Sustainability as the driving force

Today, much of the company’s focus is firmly fixed on sustainability. Within Spain, it holds the domestic certification Wineries for Climate Protection (WfCP) and on a global level, it is a member of International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA).

Director of Ramón Bilbao, Rodolfo Bastida, who is celebrating his own 25th anniversary at the company, knows the winery needs to adapt to the effects of climate change: ‘Through our wines we are trying to express the greatest respect for the land and to leave a legacy to secure the future for the Rioja and Rueda winegrowing regions.’

Director of Ram&oacute;n Bilbao, Rodolfo Bastida. — Director of Ramón Bilbao, Rodolfo Bastida.

A plethora of wine styles

Care for its vineyards and regions underpins Ramón Bilbao’s innovative approach to winemaking. Its team has been seeking out new parcels, in areas within Rioja Oriental and the villages of Rioja Alta; reinterpreting the classic style of Rioja to produce fruit-forward wine styles that reflect its high-altitude origins. It was from this philosophy that Lalomba, Ramón Bilbao’s single vineyard project, was born.

In Rioja, Ramón Bilbao has been one of the leading advocates for age-worthy rosé wines. The winery produces Lalomba Finca Lalinde from Garnacha and Viura vineyards in the Sierra de Yerga, fermenting and ageing the wine in concrete. Meanwhile, in Rueda, the company has developed the light-alcohol Early Harvest range and unique single vineyard whites. Bastida believes the region ‘offers an opportunity in the future to make some of the best white wines in Spain.’