酒莊起源可以追溯到 19 世紀下半葉，酒莊的建築有某部分是來自百 年前鑲入岩石內的地下「軸」所鑄成，深達 10 米，也因此地底溫度和濕度全年保持不變。同時也用現代化空調，營造更多相同溫度和濕度的空間，確保在生產、裝瓶、陳釀等步驟時能維持葡萄酒的高品質。
在發酵時，我們採用具有自動控溫的小不銹鋼桶（8000〜25000 公升），自動控溫系統加強我們根據葡萄品種、葡萄園、葡萄品質等分別做不同處理，並確保一個更好的篩選過程與品質管理。酒窖共有 2500 個橡木桶，橡木桶的組成分別來自不同森林，其中 50%為美國橡木桶、50%法國橡木桶，來自波爾多和布根地最好的製桶工廠生產。
沙雷諾谷酒莊擁有了 ISO 9001-2000 和 BRC 全球食品標準認證，確保所有生產流程和產品的品質管理。佔地 65 公頃的馬克莎酒莊葡萄園位於 Villabuena 市政府的向陽坡，沿著著名的 Sierra de Cantabria 山脈下降。為維持葡萄酒的品質和個性， 我們積極保留葡萄園中不多產的老藤，主要葡萄品種是天帕尼優(Tempranillo)， 葡萄園的產地位置，也是所有偉大的里奧哈葡萄酒最密集的產地，除了能表現酒 本身的風土性格、顏色、香氣與酒體等，也能突顯馬克莎酒莊葡萄酒的「鮮明個性」，出眾脫俗而被傳承，馬克莎酒莊還生產在里奧哈地區鮮為人知的品種，如 Graciano、Mazuelo 與 Viura。
Valserrano 沙雷諾谷酒莊是個精緻的小型家族酒莊，經過了好幾個世代的洗禮， 現今已經傳承到第五代以上了，他曾經是公爵的領地，輾轉經過親戚之間的轉讓、 買賣與合併，留下最好與最老的葡萄園與歷史。由於十九世紀末葡萄根瘤菌的侵襲，歐洲的葡萄樹通常超過一百多年的已經不多，莊主說他們的老樹籐年紀有達到七八十歲的，在西班牙來說已經相當難能可見，在整個歐洲尤其是對法國來說 更是罕見，沙雷諾谷酒莊的 Monteviejo 老山酒款就是平均年計達 80 歲的葡萄園 所釀出來的單一葡萄園特選葡萄酒，風趣可愛的老莊主說：「這是我出生那一年 我母親為我種下的葡萄園，我家的傳統就是這樣，當有一個新生兒家族成員誕生，我們便會在預先選好的葡萄園裡為他種下一片葡萄樹。」聽起來這是多浪漫的事情？現在老莊主也七十好幾了，身體依舊硬朗他娓娓道來每一款酒的細節與堅持，我聽得如痴如醉，更重要的是那種無時無刻都將自己置身於工作中的熱情，因為所謂的生活已是如此，放假亦是如此，只要可以做 自己喜愛的事情，釀造出自己認為最非凡的葡萄酒，並且成為它的代表，這是多麼令人欣慰與振奮的事情？
The group of buildings which make up Bodegas de la Marquesa consists of an old part, with the century-old underground “cellars”, carved out of the rock at a depth of 10 metres, which maintain constant conditions of temperature and humidity throughout the year in a natural way.
In contrast, we have a series of modern, air conditioned facilities where these days all the processes of making, ageing and bottling the wines can take place easily and hygienically.
For fermentation we use stainless steel vats with automatic temperature control, with a low capacity (8,000 to 30,000 l.), which permit the different varieties to be vinified separately and to make a better selection by plot, quality, variety. There are also epoxy-coated concrete vats which are used for vinification and storage.
We keep a number of barrels of approximately 2,500 units, 70% American oak and 30% French oak from different sources and with different finishes, where our wines are aged slowly to acquire the aromas and flavour of cask-aged wines, which confers the finesse and elegance of Rioja wines, and great potential for further evolution. A considerable percentage of these casks are renewed each year, buying French or American, depending on which style best adapts to the characteristics of each harvest and the wine we eventually want to obtain.
Since 2004, the winery applies a Quality Management System accredited by the ISO 9001 and BRC Global Standard Food certifications, ensuring maximum quality in all the processes and products.
Today, approximately 450,000 kg of grapes are produced per year, nearly all of which are from the 65 hectares of vineyards belonging to the family, and around 15 hectares of vineyards cultivated by long-term suppliers to the winery, carefully managed to ensure the quality of the grapes. Every year an average of 306,000 litres of red wine and 30,000 litres of white wine are produced.
All our plots are situated within the boundaries of Villabuena, a short distance from the wine cellar, on sun-kissed slopes which descend from the Sierra de Cantabria, protecting them to the north, towards the banks of the River Ebro in the South- Southwest.
With the prime goal of preserving the character and quality of our wines, we still maintain very old, low-yielding vines, at the same time as new plantations start to bear fruit. The average age of the vines is over 30 years.
TEMPRANILLO: this is the black grape variety which forms the basis of any good Rioja wine. In this area of Rioja Alavesa the finest quality can be found. It makes up 80% of our vine plants and is the main variety used in all our red wines. It gives good alcoholic strength, colour, fruitiness and a round character. And it is highly suited to cask ageing.
In order to give our wines “distinctive characteristics”, we grow significant percentages of other less widely cultivated Rioja varieties, blended in the various “coupages” for Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva and which in Excellent Vintages are bottled as 100% monovarietal wines.
MAZUELO: Similar to the French Carignan grape, it produces musts with good colour and acidity, rich in tannins and with characteristic aromas of hay and aromatic herbs.
GARNACHA: This is the most “Mediterranean” of the varieties grown in Rioja. It provides freshness and characteristic red-berry aromas.
GRACIANO: An indigenous Rioja grape, low-yielding, highly aromatic and very well suited to long ageing processes thanks to its high acidity and stable colour.
VIURA: A white grape only grown in the highest and poorest soils of our vineyards, exclusively to be used to make our cask-fermented, cask-aged white wines.
In pursuit of our goal of continuing to provide new ideas to differentiate our wines and to experiment with new varieties, we have recently planted a vineyard with Maturana Red and another with Chardonnay, we will have to wait a few years to see how these minority varieties perform in the Rioja Alavesa.
