Bodegas Amaren

AMAREN was created with the 1995 harvest as a homage to Ángeles, the mother of Juan Luís Cañas, the owner and manager of Bodegas Luís Cañas.

A tireless worker, she dedicated her life to working in the field and at the wine cellar until her death. AMAREN was the first wine conceived of and prepared at the wine cellar so as to place it amongst the most notable wines of the country. The best wine of the wine cellar would be AMAREN, "El vino de la Madre", [Mother’s wine”], the wine of Ángeles. It was finally in 2009 when Juan Luís saw his dream of dedicating a wine cellar to his mother come true. AMAREN is the search for perfection in all fields; the vineyard, its selection, its preparation and its growing so as to obtain wines that excite and lead to enjoyment.

The vineyard is the star of a landscape where the plots of land, mainly located on slopes and terraces, being protected to the north by the imposing presence of the Sierra Cantabria.

Villabuena is a town located to the south of the province of Álava, where the city of the vineyard and the preparation of wines is practically the sole activity that is carried on. It is in this region of Rioja Alavesa where the most suitable conditions arise for obtaining large vineyards of a superior quality.

Fundamentally Atlantic, which thanks to the protection that the Sierra Cantabria provides from the coldest northern winds as well as Continental and Mediterranean influence.The average annual temperature oscillates between 12.6º and the 13.2º. There are large fluctuations in the temperature between the morning and the night at harvest time, which is very positive for the quality of the grapes. Average rainfall is around 400 mm and 600 mm.

The soil is poor and of a clay loam or chalky clay type, ideal for obtaining grapes of an extraordinary quality.

22 hectares of vines of over 60 years of age and 30 hectares of between 30 and 60 years make up a vineyard which is the strongest indication of the wine cellar.

The old vineyards achieve a perfect balance given their low production level, having very deep roots that offer the wines complexity, minerality and personality as well as making them more resistant to drought. Vines that are checked and run by the agronomic engineers from our field department in which rational wine-growing that is respectful of the environment.

All of the forms of treatment that are carried on at the vineyard are restricted to minimally aggressive products and methods which include amongst others, the prohibition against the use of herbicides and the use of fertilisers that are always organic.
The purpose is to make use of a vineyard with a powerful defensive system that is capable of being defended from external threats with no need for artificial assistance. In this way we achieve complete respect for the land. The native soil is a fundamental part of the distinguishing personality of each region. We also manage to make the vines healthier.

Our greatest value is that of having excellent vineyards and being experts in managing and selecting them. The vines selected for AMAREN are located in areas of slopes and terraces, with perfect solar exposure and where the land is poor, ideal for obtaining varieties and grapes of the utmost quality, given their low production levels. Small plots of land that make it hard to reach a surface area of one hectare.

Vines with a very high average age where some of them attain ages that comfortably exceed a hundred years and whose production levels are minimal in many cases.

The AMAREN vineyards start from certain minimum ages of vines as well as maximum production levels per hectare for each wine.

The harvest is carried out subject to strict control in the selection of the vineyard, with the aim of Amaren only making use of the plots with excellent quality. These plots of land will have different purposes depending on its production level, type of land, situation, orientation of the same, and age of the vineyard amongst other requirements. The filed department will make a decision on the basis of continuous sampling to find the optimum time for harvesting each plot of land. Every year, and regardless of the general quality of the vintage, the grapes used by AMAREN must comply with a minimum quality standard so as to come to the situation to choose any of its wines. Therefore, every year the plots of land that have an optimum quality to be Amaren will be chosen.

AMAREN DOES NOT PREPARE VINTAGES EVERY YEAR, ONLY THOSE IN WHICH THE QUALITY OF THE VINEYARD ALLOWS FOR THIS.

The grapes are harvested by expert hands in small plastic boxes so they can be properly transported to the wine cellar.
On the other hand, the plots are very near the wine cellar, and so the transporting of the fruit to the facilities once it has been cut is done in a very short time period and so they arrive in optimum condition. 

After the boxes are received at the wine cellar and unloaded on the double selection table. The first group of people manually sieve the bunches so as to separate and discard the bunches that are not perfect. Then after the stems have been removed, they are moved on to a second selection table where a selection of the grape grains will be carried out. 

The varieties for the preparation of AMAREN are:

TEMPRANILLO
The most important indigenous red variety in the D.O. RIOJA. And one of the biggest varieties in the world. It produces wines for length ageing, very balanced in their alcoholic degrees, colour and acidity.
 

GRACIANO
An indigenous red variety with a great future in Rioja and so its surface area is increasing. It produces wines with considerable acidity and polyphonelic content, ideal for growing, whose aroma is superior in intensity to the rest of the Rioja verities. A perfect complement to the Tempranillo for ageing.
 

VIURA
The most extensive white variety in Rioja. It produces fruity wines, with a floral aroma and a notable degree of acidity, ideal for preparing both young white and vintage wines.
 

MALVASÍA
A White variety that produces wines of great oiliness and aromatic intensity.