🍷 Marqués de Riscal
A Rioja winery in Elciego (Álava), founded in 1858 by the Hurtado de Amézaga family; according to the house, its first wines were bottled in 1862.
Marqués de Riscal is a winery in Elciego, in the province of Álava, in the Rioja Alavesa part of the Rioja appellation. According to the house and Wikidata, it was founded in 1858 by a member of the Hurtado de Amézaga family. The house says its first wines were bottled in 1862, and that in 1895 it was the first non-French wine to win the diploma of honour at the Bordeaux Exhibition.
According to the house, its main Rioja wines are Marqués de Riscal Reserva and Gran Reserva, Barón de Chirel and Finca Torrea. Since 1972 it has also made white wines in Rueda. In 2006 the house opened its “City of Wine” in Elciego, with a hotel designed by the architect Frank O. Gehry.
Rioja is a protected designation of origin (PDO) and Spain's first DOCa. The label shows the ageing: a red Reserva is aged for at least 36 months, at least 12 of them in barrel and 6 in bottle, and a Gran Reserva for at least 60 months, at least 24 in barrel and 24 in bottle. The wine may be bottled only within the zone.
Why it matters to you. Reserva and Gran Reserva are set by the rules and guarantee minimum ageing, while names such as “Barón de Chirel” are the house's own. The WHO reminds: there is no safe level of alcohol.
Facts
| Year founded | 1858, Hurtado de Amézaga family |
|---|---|
| Region | Elciego, Álava (Rioja Alavesa) |
| Country | Spain |
| Legal basis | winery; wines under PDO Rioja (DOCa) |
What it includes
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Marqués de Riscal → kind of → 📍 Rioja ← grows in ← 🍇 Maturana Blanca → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 📍 Rioja
- Related to
- 📍 Rioja Alavesa (Elciego, Álava)
Frequently asked questions
When and where was Marqués de Riscal founded?
In 1858 in Elciego (Álava), in the Rioja Alavesa part of Rioja, by the Hurtado de Amézaga family.
Is it true that Gran Reserva means five years in barrel?
No. A red Gran Reserva is aged for at least 60 months in total, at least 24 of them in barrel and 24 in bottle.
Does Marqués de Riscal make only Rioja?
No. According to the house, it has also made white wines in Rueda since 1972.
Similar
🍷 Eguren Ugarte · 🍷 La Rioja Alta, S.A. · 🍷 Bodegas Muga · 🍷 López de Heredia · 🍷 Marqués de Cáceres · 🍷 CVNE
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.
Sources
- Marqués de Riscal (official site): Our history — 1858, 1862, 1895, 1972, 2006
- Marqués de Riscal (official site): home page — wines, Elciego
- Wikidata: Marqués de Riscal (Q21114581)
- eAmbrosia — EU register of geographical indications: PDO «Rioja»
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)