Following the acquisition of Vega SiciliaVega Siciliaby the Álvarez family in 1982, Alión marked the beginning of the expansion of this legendary producer in Ribera del Duero. Barely 15 kilometres away from its parent company, the idea behind Alión was to make a modern ribera with less extended aging times, in line with many of the new reds that were successfully shaping the image of the region at the time. In fact, the launch of Alión meant the disappearance of Valbuena 3º Año which used to be released three years after the harvest date.
Alión borrows the name from an area in León where the Álvarez family patriarch was born. The first vintage to reach the market, 1991, was made at Vega Sicilia but from 1993 the wine had its own facilities following the acquisition and refurbishment of Bodegas Liceo. The winery was revamped again in 2001 to introduce fermentation wood vats. A new refurbishment in 2018 increased the number of tanks from 20 to 42, allowing for more specific fermentations.
From the outset, the intention was to produce a single, widely available red wine. Production currently stands at approximately 300,000 bottles, with the wine retailing at around €95 in Spain. Alión is a 100% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) aged in French oak.
The winery owns 60 ha of land in Valladolid, including villages such as Pesquera and Padilla del Duero. It also relies on vineyards within the Vega Sicilia estate. Grapes are sourced from suppliers based in Peñaranda, La Aguilera, and the high plateau in Moradillo de Roa, in Burgos, as well as more recently from Soria, in the eastern end of the appellation. Today, Alión can be described as a truly regional Ribera red.
In recent years, the role of oak has been reduced with the introduction of foudres and concrete tanks to complement barrels.
