History
Bodegas Muga Bodegas Muga is located in the historical Barrio de La Estación (railway station district) in Haro. Its vineyards lie on the foot of the Montes Obarenses, within the area called Rioja Alta. La Rioja is one of the few regions in the world where wine is made using only native vine varieties. During decades of 1870 and 1880 there was a great increase of wine production in Spain, due to the destruction of vineyards in France by mildew and phylloxera. It was during this period when many great wineries in Rioja were founded, oriented to the production of wines to be exported to France. Antonio Muga was one of the viticulturists selling wine in bulk to be exported to France. Competing in such a complex market, many grape-growers joined to create bigger and more competitive wineries.
This was the origin of Rioja Alta -winery where Jorge Caño participated from its foundation in 1890, as the foreman of the winery. Jorge Caño was the great grand father of the actual foreman of Bodegas Muga. Bodegas Muga S.A. was established in 1932, but the real spirit of the winery began with the marriage of Aurora Caño, daughter of Jorge Caño, and Isaac Muga, grandson of Antonio Muga, in 1935. Unfortunately bad times came: the Spanish Civil War, General Franco’s dictatorship of 36 years, and ruined and isolated post-war Spain. The economical difficulties and the limitations of the old winery forced the young couple to elaborate just young wines.
Finally luck changed and they got the chance to buy the perfect building for the winery of their dreams – an old building, placed in the historical “Barrio de la estación”. In 1968 they were ready to elabore and age their first wine. Isaac Muga passed away during the harvest of 1969, and Aurora Caño and their two sons, Manuel Muga and Isaac Muga Jr., continued the work. Jorge Muga, born in Haro (La Rioja) in 1971, has directed the winemaking since 1998.