How to create the best wine cellar

Bodegas Santalba wants to give you some pieces of advice about how to create the best wine cellar. You just have to follow some simple rules and the wine will develop in the best way to increase the qualilty during its ageing in bottle. 

- Temperature: Between 11ºC and 16ºC is the best temperature to give the wine a correct evolution. In case were bellow 11º the evolution will be very slowly and above 16º very fast..

- Humidity: Between 60% and 70%. In case were higher fungus will appear in the cork and bellow 60% the wine could be evaporated through the cork.

- Light: Keep the wine in a place with light enough to read the labels, as less as possible.

- Smell and air circulation: Keep the wine in a place with no strong smell like the kitchen or in contact with chemical products. Air circulation is a must to prevent fungus.

We hope you find it interesting and we will continue giving you recomendations and facts to use in your home and enjoy our family wines as better as possible! 

Flowering in the vineyards

When the warm weather finally arrived in early June, tempranillo vineyards bloomed and this is one of the most important moments during the vine period. Good weather and climate conditions are critical for quality and quantity. The flowering will be decisive to limite the number of grapes per bunch and the production of each vineyard.

Flowers are very small, light and like the other flowers, really weak. This part of the vine is the most delicated part of the plant and that is why we should be alert and following the blooming process.

Vinegrowers also have to prevent the posible diseases and make treatments to prevent bacterias and fungus. There are a lot of different kinds of products to prevent but in each moment we have to choose the best for the vine and in this case, the flower.

SILVER MEDAL TO VIÑA HERMOSA RESERVA

The last edition of Challenge International du Vin, celebrated in Bordeaux (France) and considers one of the most traditional Challenge of wine, our Viña Hermosa Reserva 2008 has been awarded with a SILVER medal.

This year more than 750 judges have tasted at least 4.000 different wines from 35 countries around the world.

We only have to say congratulations to our fantastic team and of course to our superb wine Viña Hermosa Reserva 2008 who add one more award!

If you want to read more about have a look to the tasting notes.

On Easter Holidays visit Santalba

During these days off, for sure you will have some days to visit Rioja and enjoy our beautiful landscapes and Easter traditions.

Panoramic view of Rioja landscape

                          

Rioja is a region full of plans and tours to do, so you can not miss this opportunity to know our place. Of course, you can discover our gastronomy, amazing food and dishes which you could pair with wonderfull wines from the DOCa. Rioja.

Also, you can visit wineries and learn something else about our traditions and roots and our know how to elaborate Rioja wine. Bodegas Santalba will be open for wine tours in the following dates and hours:

- 17th Thursday: Visit winery and vineyards 10:30 & 12:30

- 18th Friday: Visit winery and vineyards 11:30

- 19th Saturday: Visit winery and vineyards 11:30

- 20th Sunday: Visit winery and vineyards 12:00

- 21st Monday: Visit winery and vineyards 12:00


* Also, if you book it, taste of wines is available.

The rest of the days, the winery will be open during the day from 10:00 to 18:00. If you want to visit us, please, confirm your tour before you come sending an email to santalba@santalba.com or booking your visit on +34 941 304 231.

Rioja, a Designation with a long history and tradition

Rioja, our region, is a Denominación de Origen Calificada (D.O.C. Qualified designation of origin) with a huge variety of climates and relief, so that is why it is divided into three different subregions called:

-         Rioja Alta

-         Rioja Baja

-         Rioja Alavesa

Where winelovers will find different varieties and wine styles. Bodegas Santalba is located in Gimileo, heart of Rioja Alta.

Rioja Wine from the D.O.C. is identify because of its special labels which are numbered and each winery will have a limited number of them, depends on the grapes its harvest. Here you have some history about Rioja:

1787: The Real Economic Society of Cosecheros de Rioja is created to increase the wine market and vines cultivation.

1790: The first assembly is celebrated by the Real Economic Society of Cosecheros de Rioja.

1878: The first commission against the phylloxera is celebrated.

1892: The “Estación de Viticultura y Enología” in Haro is founded to control the wine quality.

1902: A new law to define the origin of Rioja wines is created.

1926: The Consejo Regulador is created to control as a supreme organism.

1991: The Designation of Origin starts to be Qualified "Rioja".

The best choice is if you visit us in Rioja and Bodegas Santalba, where we will show you the most beautiful landscapes, curiosities and rules we must follow to elaborate our specials Rioja wines, and you will have the marvelous possibility to taste some wine.

Peñin Guide points to Bodegas Santalba Rioja Wines

Year by year, after a huge effort it is fantastic to have a good feedback and get these fantastic points from Peñin Guide whom always gives to our wines wonderful positions in its classification:

Nabot Single Vineyard 2005

ERMITA DE SAN FELICES RESERVA 2008 - 88 POINTS

Click here for tasting notes

NABOT SINGLE VINEYARD 2005 - 89  POINTS

Click here for tasting notes

OGGA RESERVA 2008 - 90 POINTS

Click here for tasting notes

Santalba Limited Edition 2008

SANTALBA ECOLÓGICO RESVERATROL 2011 - 90 POINTS

Click here for tasting notes

SANTALBA LIMITED EDITION 2008 - 89 POINTS

Click here for tasting notes

VIÑA HERMOSA RESERVA 2008 - 88 POINTS

Click here for tasting notes

Thanks everybody to make this posible and please continue following our day by day!

Climate change in Rioja wines, fact or fiction?

Long time ago we wanted to try (or to check), if climate change is a reality in Rioja wines. Last year we were selecting some plots to develop a very interesting test. We wanted to compare the wine made from higher vineyards (always above 750 meters high), with the lower conventional wine (between 350 and 500 meters). To give even more character to this particular wine, we just went ahead only with which the ones that were facing north. We were trying to give to the wine cooler temperatures, less hours of sunshine annually and important thermal gradient between night and day. With these conditions, the plots really were micro -plots, fairly old and with very low production of grapes. So, we created the SANTALBA COTAS ALTAS (or in english, SANTALBA HIGH TOPS).

Wine made from grapes from Tempranillo (60%) and Grenache (40 %), from micro-plots situated on slopes at high altitude and north facing. The slow ripening of the grapes gives this wine fresh and fruity aromas, light body and low alcohol content (more information here) .