Lòpez de Heredia Viña Tondonia

In Haro, the capital of the region of La Rioja Alta, is located the winery Bodegas Lopez de Heredia, which is one of the oldest and one of the three highest rated in the Spanish wine region of La Rioja. On the right bank of the Ebro River is the vineyard Vinã Tondonia and there grow the most famous products of this bodega. In the midst of the mytic capital of Haro, the winery with 3433.41 m² of underground cellar stores its high quality products. One of these cellars covers a length of 200 meters and 15 meters deep, which was cut into the rock and today houses 12900 barrique barrels.

At Lopez de Heredia, not a single grape from other wine regions or other producers enters its wine. This is guaranteed with a warranty certificate that adorns the back label of the bottles. For four generations, the family business has turned down even the most lucrative offers from multinational companies.

The winery stands for flexibility, non-conformity, self-criticism and is open to change. The commitment can be expressed in two guiding principles:

• Professionalism
• Ehticism as a corporate and personal rule of conduct, for the happiness of employees, friends and customers and as a contribution to society to provide the best of hopes and dreams.

Another distinctive feature of the bodega is its own cooperage, which makes it the only bodega in Spain that makes all the barrels for aging its wines by hand. The oak comes from Calabria, Bosnia, the Allier and North America and is produced in sizes of 60, 100, 200, 480 and 640 hl.

The basis and prerequisite of an excellent wine is the harvest by hand, panicle by panicle. The cutting is done with the curved "corquete", which prevents the berries from bursting. The harvest time at Lopez de Heredia is hectic, as the grapes are processed immediately after the tractors arrive on the trailers. After production, the wines are aged in 225-liter barriques at an ideal temperature and absolute tranquility in the cellar. The preparation of the "Gran Reservas" lasts at least 7 years. Before finishing, they are clarified with fresh egg white, bottled directly from the barrel without filtering and closed with a long cork. These wines are sealed with wax so that they can be stored for several years.

These "great" wines deserve to be treated and presented with dignity.