Portraits

Founded just over 25 years ago in response to increased demand for Rioja wines internationally, family-run bodega Criadores de Rioja has always kept a watchful eye on overseas markets. Its wines encapsulate a fusion of tradition and modernity and the winery has successfully kept abreast of changing demand and consumer patterns. With its appeal continuing to extend way beyond national borders, it offers a fine illustration of the vitality of this famous Spanish appellation and its ability to reinvent itself.

One of the region’s rising stars, with its multi-award-winning, extensive range of wines and cutting-edge technology, Bodega Inurietta is a great illustration of Navarre’s resurgence and its assertiveness in global wine markets. We take a look at what defines this young bodega shooting for the moon.

Cantine Riondo is set in the beautiful rolling countryside around Verona, one of Italy’s most storied towns and the nexus of the sprawling Veneto wine region. Behind this bucolic setting, though, is one of the country’s largest co-operative groups and a range of wines that reads like a digest of global best-sellers.

How did a bodega, founded in 1890 in Jumilla – perhaps Spain’s most under-the-radar wine region – to produce wines for France, then in the throes of phylloxera, become Europe’s leading winery by sales and the fourth largest in the world in just 130 years? Its director, José García-Carrión, recounts the incredible story of this exceptional company.

What credit should be given to the Grand Cru statement in Champagne? And where does it stem from? We will be revealing all about its history, definition and the nuances between these 17 jewels in Champagne’s crown, featuring interviews of ten producers located in the relevant villages.

Founded by Christopher Vanpoulle in 2010 to promote Iberian wines worldwide, in just a few years Very Fine Vinos has successfully carved out a prime position for itself in the Spanish wine arena. It has even become the official wine distributor of MasterChef, an institution in the country. Despite its success, the company has always favoured quality over quantity and demonstrates a new way of viewing distribution, one that is based on trust, interaction with people and good wine. After the untimely passing of its founder, the company is determined more than ever to continue on its journey.