Ramón Bilbao's centenary celebrations, which took place over several days with separate presentations for institutional guests, the press and distributors, showed the strength of the brand and its determination to become a driving force in the Spanish wine industry.

The press were invited to tour the state-of-the-art facilities in Haro, including the boutique winery Lalomba, attend the international final of the Spanish Wine Master competition, and witness Ramón Bilbao rubbing shoulders with legendary century-old wineries such as Château Palmer, Niepoort, Catena Zapata and Frescobaldi in a masterclass and round table hosted by Masters of Wine Sarah Jane Evans and Pedro Ballesteros. A gala dinner, featuring colourful musical performances, was served by the two-Michelin-starred Rioja restaurant Venta Moncalvillo.

The muscle shown by the company in recent years and its expansion into other wine regions (Rueda under the Ramón Bilbao brand, Rías Baixas with Mar de Frades and Ribera del Duero with Cruz de Alba) are the result of the financial injection provided by Zamora Company after acquiring the bodega in 1999. This family-owned group, built around the popular Licor 43 brand, is one of the major players in Spain's spirits industry. The Zamoras hosted the event, led by third-generation president José María de Santiago, along with other family members and general manager Javier Pijoan, the first non-family member to hold the position.

25 years under Zamora Company

Under the group’s leadership, Ramón Bilbao has grown from a traditional Haro winery into a major player in Rioja with international reach –40% of its production is now exported. Since 2019, the company has been listed among the 50 most admired wine brands in the world, an annual ranking published by Drinks International magazine. The commercial strategy has benefited from a solid winemaking philosophy, backed by Rodolfo Bastida, who, as manager and chief winemaker, has championed stylistic developments and new releases. The brief given to him at the time was: "To exceed consumer expectations."

Chemist, oenologist and Master of Wine candidate, Rosana Lisa is Bastida's right-hand and the driving force behind the company's innovation. She has been with the group since 2011, overseeing R&D since 2015, and is in responsible for the range of premium wines.

Brand awareness is twofold. Firstly, to consumers, through major advertising campaigns that have broken the traditional communication codes in the wine industry. Secondly, to opinion leaders, thanks to contemporary narratives backed up by data (hence the importance of Rosana Lisa's work), such as high elevation vineyards, climate change, new quality areas in Rioja, pale rosés, or concrete winemaking and ageing.

Rubbing shoulders with the big guys

The 100th anniversary has not only allowed the company to showcase its identity and major achievements. It has also strengthened the image of Ramón Bilbao as a driving force in the industry, thanks to the central role played by the international final of the Spanish Wine Master. Launched last year as part of the Spanish Wine Academy, a learning programme created in 2018 by Ramón Bilbao to raise awareness of Spanish wine, the competition featured the winners of previous national competitions held in the United States, Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Spain and United Kingdom. Spaniard Alberto Ruffoni won the generous €15,000 prize.

The icing on the cake was the round table and the tasting with leading hundred-year-old wineries. Adriana Catena (Catena Zapata, Argentina) and Dirk Niepoort (Niepoort, Portugal) took part in the panel with Rodolfo Bastida, and the tasting included Château Palmer (Margaux, Bordeaux) and Frescobaldi's Castel Giocondo Brunello di Montacino. Ramón Bilbao chose to a magnum of Mirto 1999, the brand's first vintage. It was the oldest wine in the tasting and the one with the deepest colour, reflecting a period when the focus was on concentration and generous extraction. The nose showed ripe fruit and creamy aromas without losing the distinctive freshness of the grapes grown in Villalba, one of coolest villages in Rioja Alta; hence the liveliness that underpins a broad, still firm palate.

The round table addressed topics like the continuity of century-old family businesses, the challenges of climate change, sustainability and market trends. Dirk Niepoort bluntly pointed out that humans are the biggest problem (“we are to blame for climate change, not the climate”) and condemned the Parker era, which was so focused on high-alcohol wines. "It’s probably not so difficult to make fresh wines. Niepoort's recent wines are lighter, more elegant and fresher," he noted. He also suggested “not planting vines in unsuitable sites and getting things right; attitude is the most important thing.” Niepoort also warned that it takes centuries to build a brand, but it is really easy to destroy it.

Producer and historian Adriana Catena said that the secret to longevity is a combination of luck, passion and revolutionary, hard-working people. “My father had the crazy idea of going up into the mountains and that allowed us to tackle climate change,” she explained. Adriana believes that the wine industry has a collective responsibility to take care of the land ("it is an industry that pollutes"). Catena Zapata has taken the preservation of old vines biotypes very seriously -due to the absence of phylloxera in Argentina, they work with very old plant material brought from Europe before the plague. “As an historian, I understand the future by looking at the past,” she concluded.

Rodolfo Bastida, for his part, pointed out that what is considered a tradition today was once regarded as an innovation. "Trends change, but we are responsible for them. When planting a vineyard, we must take responsibility because we are creating a grape factory to last 50, 70 or 80 years,” he said.

100 years of evolution

Significantly, the founding date of a winery that has been obsessed with brand awareness since it was acquired by Zamora Company does not refer to the start of its winemaking activity, which took place before 1924, but to its trademark registration. Ramón Bilbao died in 1929 and was succeeded by his son, Enrique Bilbao, whose name appeared on labels from the 1930s and the following decades, alongside the common styles of the time, such as Rioja Clarete. Some of these old labels listed the winery's range of wines. These included second- and third-year whites and reds depending on length of ageing, as well as Viña Turzaballa. The latter was a red labelled as "alambrado", in reference to the anti-fraud wire netting wrapped around the bottle, and a white "abocado" (with some residual sugar).

In José del Castillo’s Los vinos de España (The wines from Spain, 1971) the winery was mentioned as Herederos de Enrique Bilbao, and it was said to produce “light red wines with a fine bouquet”. 

When Zamora Company bought the winery in 1999, it owned just two hectares of vineyards. But it was a profitable business, producing half a million bottles a year. "The wines were very traditional, in the classic style of the time; there were plenty of old barrels and the ageing process prevailed over the terroir,” Bastida recalls. The range was limited to a Crianza, a Reserva and a Gran Reserva with the occasional addition of Viña Turzaballa. "This wine was made on very few occasions and only in excellent vintages; it could take five, six or even 10 years for a new one to come out, but when produced it was made in a certain amount and sold over several years; it was a collector's wine. We stopped making it because it was very difficult to say the name in most markets. 1999 was the last vintage."

The practice of numbering the bottles of some of Viña Turzaballa’s vintages (the Gran Reserva 1981 had the words ‘limited production of 135,780 bottles’ on the label) was an inspiration for the Edición Limitada, the winery's first modern red wine together with Mirto, which was then presented as an “alta expression”(high expression) Rioja.

The classic range of Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva has been updated over the years as the barrels have been renewed. There is a greater emphasis on fruit, particularly in the Crianza. The commitment to American oak has been respected, as opposed to the French oak used in modern wines.

The 2010s brought a greater focus on terroir as the winery's own vineyards expanded (there are now 255 hectares in Rioja alone). Of particular importance was the purchase in 2014 of almost 100 hectares of vines on the slopes of Monte Yerga, which forms the nucleus of Lalomba. This also led to the exploration of high-elevation vineyards and a growing interest in Garnacha, first with Viñedos de Altura (a blend of 50% Tempranillo and 50% Garnacha) and more recently with the single-varietal Límite Sur (Garnacha from Mount Yerga aged in different vessels ) and Edición Limitada Garnacha. It is not surprising that one of the wines released for the 100th anniversary is a Garnacha aged for 100 months in concrete tanks.

Challenges ahead

Ramón Bilbao may be experiencing its golden days, but the context is not so rosy. The decline in wine consumption worldwide and the fall in demand for reds are not favourable trends for Rioja, which is already feeling the effects of this downturn.

With regard to whites, the group has focused on establishing separate projects in Rueda (Castilla y León) and Rías Baixas (Galicia) that allow for relatively larger volumes. In Rioja, innovation has seen the release of Límite Norte, an atypical Reserva combining Tempranillo Blanco and Maturana. The most successful non-red wine to date is the premium rosé Lalomba Finca Lalinde, an undisputed benchmark for the category in Rioja. Bastida knows this well: "The time when whites and rosés were minor wines is over."

Lalomba's two premium reds, Finca Valhonta and Finca Ladero, sourced from vineyards in Villalba (Rioja Alta) and Mount Yerga (Rioja Oriental) respectively, face much stiffer competition. Despite the high scores and the sophisticated use of concrete in the winemaking process, opinion leaders usually show more interest in smaller, terroir-driven projects. Mirto has been often overshadowed in this respect, and Lalomba could be no different. Where Ramón Bilbao has done particularly well is in the €14- €22 range, showing a remarkable ability to craft original and distinctive wines.

It remains to be seen how the new range of moderate alcohol wines (11% abv.) launched earlier this year will perform. Called Early Harvest, it is the latest achievement in the innovation strategy that has been so important under the Zamora Company's ownership. The two wines, a white Verdejo from Rueda and a Garnacha rosé from Rioja which appear to be aimed at general consumers rather than wine enthusiasts, are not only responding to an upward trend. "These wines are in a hot segment of the market, between €12 and €18, where consumers are willing to pay more if there is some innovation," explains Rodolfo Bastida. There are just over 20,000 bottles of each wine. They were intended from the domestic market, but following the good feedback at Prowein, sales could also be expanded abroad. Both wines were given great visibility at the centenary events.

A 100-year journey in seven wines

The following is a personal selection from all the wines tasted during the 100th anniversary celebrations and during an extensive visit to the winery last April.

Ramón Bilbao Gran Reserva 1996. This was my favourite vintage among those made before Zamora Company bought the estate. It was part of a vertical tasting held at the winery in April. It must be said, however, that the blend was made by Rodolfo Bastida who joined the company in 1999. Quite fresh on the nose with spicy notes (nutmeg) and blond tobacco followed by a vibrant, balanced and juicy palate. It conveys the Rioja know-how of ageing in a cold vintage in terms of delicacy -not an easy feat. I strongly recommend the 2010 (a glorious vintage at a great moment) and the 2015 for its ageing potential.

Mirto 2006. This wine won the Tempranillos al Mundo competition. Like the 1999 tasted in the event, grapes were sourced from Villalba, one of the coldest villages in Rioja Alta. It has a very deep colour, with liqueur fruit, spices and cocoa notes on a background of mint and dark chocolate. The palate is powerful and full-bodied, with grainy tannins. Still very firm for an 18-year-old wine but the acidity makes it very drinkable. It reflects the winemaking style of a very specific period.
Ramón Bilbao Viñedos de Altura 2021. My favourite in Ramón Bilbao's range for its extra freshness, lovely expression (orange peel, herbs, red fruit), aromatic depth and energetic drive. The role of Garnacha in the blend, up to 50%, and the superb quality of the 2021 vintage make it a joy to drink.
83,000 bottles. €16.

Ramón Bilbao Crianza 2021. The winery's flagship red is made with grapes from different areas of Rioja (Bastida calls it a regional blend) and is aged in American oak. The outstanding 2021 vintage reinforces the trend towards a fruit-driven profile, with herbal undertones and subtle oak. It comes in 430g bottles. Impeccable in its category.
2.5 million bottles. €10 .

Lalomba Finca Lalinde 2022 Rosado. An impeccably crafted wine, with the right blend of Garnacha and Viura and clever ageing in concrete tanks. The winery has made an oaked version, but in my view, the concrete adds precision to the fruit and outlines the wine better. Although 2022 was a warm vintage and the acidity feels a little lower, I always find more complexity and a refined texture in Finca Lalinde with an extra year in bottle. It is nicely balanced and the fruit holds up well. 

Ramón Bilbao Las Amedias 2019 White (Rueda). A quick look at Rueda to highlight a new white, also made for the 100th anniversary. Verdejo grapes come from the gravelly tip of the oldest vines in Las Amedias estate, where the winery is located, planted in 1999. The 15% Sauvignon Blanc in the blend is well integrated into the wine after 24 months of ageing in foudre and a further 12 months in concrete vats. Ripe citrus fruits, fennel and subtle smoked aromas are followed by an unctuous, deep palate with fresh acidity. This offers a serious, ambitious approach to the region.
5,000 bottles. €45.

Ramón Bilbao Garnacha Centenario 100 months in concrete 2015. How does a Garnacha from Yerga stand up to the challenge of being aged in concrete vats for more than eight years? The result is surprising. The colour shows very little evolution; the nose has floral notes (violets), red plum preserve and a hint of mint over a spicy background (black pepper). This is not a light Garnacha; it is full-bodied, intense, juicy and moreish. I liked it better than the Gran Reserva 2001 (€120), also bottled for the occasion, after spending 10 years in oak barrels and a further eight years between oak and concrete vats. 
3,000 bottles. €95 

RAMÓN BILBAO IN FIGURES

In 2023, Zamora Company set a sales record of €268 million With 40% coming from the wine business (see chart below), which includes the sangria brand Lolea. The Ramón Bilbao wineries in Rioja and Rueda contributed 27% of this total, while Mar de Frades in Rías Baixas accounted for 6%.

Ramón Bilbao's output in Rioja exceeds four million bottles, with 2.5 million dedicated to its Crianza. Mar de Frades and Ramón Bilbao Rueda each produce 1.9 million bottles, while the figures for Cruz de Alba in Ribera del Duero are much lower at 180,000 bottles.