History
Founded in 1944 by 60 winegrowers from Cariñena region who mainly made wine bulk, Bodegas San Valero has already more than 700 members of its cooperative, provided with the best technology to make high quality wines suitable for the most demanding palates.
Belonging to one of the most ancient denominations of origin in Spain, set up in 1932, Bodegas San Valero has been always committed to innovation and quality, being a pioneer in the introduction of bottling in Aragón in the 60s. In 1983, the winery bet on a monitored grape harvesting, setting up quality control parameters in the harvesting process.
Besides investing in cutting edge manufacturing facilities, Bodegas San Valero has recently introduced the selected grape harvesting, seeking even more the excellence in its wines by the selection of vineyards older than 30 years.
Cariñena region is placed in the middle valley of Ebro river and includes 14 municipalities from Zaragoza: Aguarón, Aladrén, Alfamen, Almonacid de la Sierra, Alpartir, Cosuenda, Encinacorba, Longares, Mezalocha, Muel, Paniza, Tosos y Villanueva de Huerva.
Its wine tradition goes back to the third century BC, when the inhabitants from the Roman village Carae (currently Cariñena) already drunk wine mixed with honey.
During centuries, wines from the region were praised by written testimonies. The visit of the king Philip II of Spain to Cariñena is popularly known. According to chronicles he was welcomed with public fountains spouting red and white wine – tradition kept alive nowadays-. In 1909, the king Alfonso XIII of Spain awarded Cariñena with the title of Town because of its arduous labour in the recovery of vineyards affected by the Filoxera, a plague that devastated vineyards across Europe at the end of the 19th century.
In 1932, Cariñena obtained the first Designation of Origin in the Aragon region, being one of the first wineries in Spain obtaining this distinction as well.