Bodegas y Viñedos Marqués de Vargas

In 1840, Don Felipe de la Mata, 8th Marquis of Vargas, decided to plant the first grapevines at the Hacienda Pradolagar. Since then, four generations of this family lineage have cultivated the vineyards on this estate. Don Pelayo de la Mata, Count of San Cristóbal, and his brother Don Francisco, 9th Marquis of Vargas, who was elected mayor of Logroño, kept the passion for the vines at Pradolagar alive.

An especially prominent figure was Don Hilario de la Mata, 10th Marquis of Vargas and father of the current Marquis, as he was chairman of an important winery group and co-proprietor of another firm in the sector. Don Hilario, an enthusiast of the world of wine just like his predecessors, always dreamed of having a winery of his own and creating a wine with the family’s name. Sadly, he died while still very young and was unable to see his dream made reality.

In 1989, Don Pelayo de la Mata, 11th Marquis of Vargas, and his siblings, saw their father’s dream made reality when today’s winery was built at the Hacienda Pradolagar estate, in Logroño, at the heart of the Rioja Alta.

D. Pelayo de la Mata: “I remember my father’s expression, the gleam in his eyes when he spoke with overwhelming enthusiasm about having his own winery, a dream that he had in mind for many years. As his children, we could not let him down.”

The winery, set at the centre of its own vineyards, in line with the château concept, lies in the heart of the Ebro valley, in an area popularly known as Los Tres Marqueses, as it is home to the vineyards of three reputed Rioja wineries, each founded by a different Marquis. It is a wonderful location for growing grapes thanks to its continental climate enhanced by Atlantic influences. Its gentle topography has a high clay and limestone content that helps to produce balanced, full-bodied wines with high levels of total acidity that are particularly suited to ageing in barrels.

A yield of between 4,000 and 5,000 kilos is produced per hectare. We start to produce our wines at the very moment the grapes are hand-picked. Our “Cuverie” is designed with different sizes and materials of the vats and tanks (oak wood, cement and stainless steel). This means that we can separately vinify each of the 32 plots and then mature the wines in French oak barrels.

We produce beautiful ageing wines, Reserva and Gran Reserva wines that are racked naturally, without filtering, which age for several years in bottle before being released into the market.