Eva Valgañón and Óscar Alegre are two agronomists from Fonzaleche and Alfaro in Rioja respectively, who met while studying oenology in Piedmont, in north-east Italy. Upon returning to Rioja, they started a family —they have three children— and later established a winery bearing their surnames.

Before working full-time at Alegre Valgañón, Eva was a winemaker at Finca Los Arandinos,  south of Logroño. Meanwhile, Óscar held various roles, including selling corks, working for renowned producers such as Álvaro Palacios and Cía de Vinos Telmo Rodríguez, and selling old Rioja bottles to private clients. He is a great admirer of these historic wines, which have also inspired their own creations.

Obarenes Mountains

Alegre Valgañón focuses strongly on the northwestern end of Rioja. In fact, Eva and Óscar aim to capture the distinctive character of the area around the Obarenes Mountains, on the boundaries of the appellation. They own six hectares of vines in Fonzaleche and nearby Sajazarra, plus a further two rented hectares. They have also recently added another two hectares from Eva’s family.

They have so far identified three main types of soils in the area. In Fonzaleche there are clay-limestone soils on laminated sandstone that help preserve freshness (it acts as a sponge, according to Eva) and resulting in wines with condensed, round tannins. The other two soil types are in Sajazarra. One consists of limestone alluvial soils with lots of pebbles, now planted with red varieties, although whites where the norm in the past. The second features deep, clay-limestone soils that give the vines greater vigour and result in relatively hard tannins.

Historically, this cool Atlantic–continental region produced mostly rosés (claretes), typically made from Garnacha alongside various white grape varieties. The winery still handles almost as many white grapes as red, although it produces more red wine overall, as small proportions of white varieties are blended into some of the reds. According to Óscar, Tempranillo vines suffer particularly in drought conditions, since the Obarenes receive less rainfall than neighbouring San Vicente de la Sonsierra. For that reason, some Tempranillo vines are being regrafted, and in 2024 three hectares were planted using keyline design with Viura and both red and white Garnacha.

Since 2019, the couple have been making their wines in the centre of Sajazarra, a quaint picturesque village in Rioja. Current production ranges between 40,000 and 50,000 bottles.

The wines

The entry-level red Alegre Valgañón (20,000 bottles, around €15 in Spain), which is also their most widely available wine, is a blend inspired by traditional Rioja with around 70% Tempranillo and 10% Viura from Rioja Alta (Sajazarra and Fonzaleche) and 20% Garnacha sourced from Cárdenas in the Najerilla Valley. This is a delightful, great value, easy-to-drink red with herbal notes and chalky tannins. The white version, priced similarly and limited to just over 10,000 bottles, aims to deliver a similar experience through a somewhat more complex winemaking process involving a small percentage of skin-fermented grapes and the use of various vessels, including concrete, foudres and barrels. The blend is led by Viura, though it also includes 10% Garnacha Blanca and small amounts of Rojal and Calagraño. The more affordable Alegre Valgañón Clarete (€12), a rosé with just 5,500 bottles produced, pays tribute to the traditional wines of Montes Obarenes. With good acidity and a similarly chalky aftertaste, it is a co-fermentation of Tempranillo, old Garnacha and Viura grapes.

There is also a fragrant, juicy Garnacha (€24, fewer than 3,000 bottles) sourced from Cárdenas that is fermented in concrete vats, aged in 500-litre barrels for a few months and returned to concrete before bottling. The original Blanco 3º Año (Third Year White, €43) reflects Óscar’s fondness for old Rioja. This Viura, from a vineyard in Sajazarra, is aged for 40 months in barrel before being bottled in its third year, as was traditionally done in the past. Following an initial reductive note, which adds complexity, the wine reveals toasted aromas, an oxidative edge, spices and creaminess.

The single vineyard range begins with the white Las Llanas (around 1,000 bottles, €31). Sourced from a century-old vineyard, this wine is fermented with the skins for a month and then aged in stoneware amphorae and 500-litre barrels. There are also three red wines. La Calleja (3,200 bottles, €25) is a north-facing, late-ripening Tempranillo from Fonzaleche, which Eva planted with her father in 1994 on carbonate-rich soils. Black fruit, liquorice and firm, tight tannins dominate, making it the only wine in the range presented in a Bordeaux bottle. Carra Santo Domingo (around 1,000 bottles, €50) comes from three terraces of century-old vines, with red and white varieties intermixed to produce Clarete. It grows on a south-facing slope with very poor sandstone soils, where the vines practically grow out of the rock. The wine is deep, dark and almost mysterious on the nose, yet vibrant on the palate and marked by chalky tannins.

Finally,  Bahierra (around 700 bottles, €52) also originates from a vineyard intended for Clarete production, but some of the Garnacha vines were replaced with Tempranillo. It occupies a hillside with various exposures over white clay soils beneath a layer of sandstone. The resulting wine is both firm and evocative, with remarkable persistence. 

Alegre Valgañón is a member of Rioja ’n’ Roll.