An export pioneer with extensive experience in the trade, Miguel Merino began making his own wines in 1994 —one of Rioja's greatest vintages— but waited until 2001 to release his first bottle. While pursuing his dream, he worked for leading wine companies such as Cvne and Vivanco.
He renovated an old 19th-century house in Briones, expanded the winery on the adjacent land and planted a vineyard overlooking the village and the Nuestra Señora de la Asunción church tower that crowns this picturesque Rioja village. Pedro Vivanco himself [the late owner of Bodegas Vivanco] was very supportive and let him know that the house was for sale.
A charming, down-to-earth man, Merino was a great storyteller. He had a delightful way of explaining how he selected his grapes: those that went to "hell" were discarded, while those in "purgatory" were used to make wine for his own consumption; only the grapes from "heaven" made it into Miguel Merino's range of wines.
After his death in 2021, his son Miguel, a journalist by training with further experience in Rioja wineries such as Gómez Cruzado, and his partner Erika, who is in charge of PR and visits, have taken over and are gradually putting their stamp on the wines and launching new releases.
Today, Miguel Merino produces around 55,000 bottles, 95% of which are exported to some 30 countries. To some extent, these unusual figures in Rioja are the result of the family's excellent international connections, but they also reflect the struggle to sell at relatively high prices on the domestic market.
They farm around 40 plots totalling 14 hectares in different areas of Briones, eight of which they own and the rest are leased.
From their youngest vines, planted in the 1990s and 2000s, they make Miguel Merino Viñas Jóvenes (€18, 16,500 bottles). A blend of Tempranillo and Graciano, aged for 12 months in used casks, it stands out for its fresh fruit, spicy character and polished palate.
The classic range includes two Reservas: the fresher Vitola (€25, 7,000 bottles), made from Tempranillo planted in 1973 on north-west facing slopes that Miguel is gradually bringing into his style; and Miguel Merino, made from 50- to 60-year-old vines on southern and south-western exposures and aged in French and American oak. The more austere Gran Reserva is also being fine-tuned, now that they have bought a vineyard in Bigorta, close to the river and almost on the border with Labastida, which should give it a velvety quality.
The main contribution of the second generation has been the development of a range of single vineyard wines and a move towards the subtle, elegant styles that Miguel is so fond of. A case in point is Mazuelo de la Quinta Cruz (€38, around 4,000 bottles), one of the winery's most emblematic wines, which takes its name from the path that leads up to Monte Calvario. The plot, located at the fifth cross (Quinta Cruz), has poor alluvial soils with plenty of gravel.
A white wine (3,800 bottles, €38) fermented and aged in 500-litre French oak barrels has recently been added to the range. It is made from Viura grapes from the Mingortiz vineyard and 20% Garnacha Blanca, which was planted in La Loma in 1946.
First released in the 2019 vintage, La Ínsula (€50, around 600 bottles) is an evocative, enveloping single-vineyard Garnacha. The grapes come from La Isla, a site on the Ebro River with distinctive sandy soils that have allowed ungrafted vines to develop.
La Loma (€55, 5,500 bottles) is the jewel in the crown. In the past, this plot was destined for Unnum, Miguel Merino's premium red wine, but since the 2015 vintage it has been released separately. It is a hillside vineyard at the junction of the clay soils that begin in Rodezno and the Sonsierra limestone. It has an argillic layer that stores decomposed soil and retains water. This elegant red wine, with a fine structure, is mostly Tempranillo, with 12% Garnacha providing a fragrant, subtle touch.
The winery welcomes small groups of visitors by appointment.
