A historic Rioja producer, Bodegas Riojanas was established in 1890 by the Artacho family in partnership with Rafael Carreras. Its winemaking tradition, however, dates back to 1799, as evidenced by a stone doorway that once led to one of the vineyards and now stands at the entrance of the cellar in Cenicero. This location was also strategically important: Cenicero had a railway station, allowing the winery to transport its wines further afield.

In 1930, after the phylloxera outbreak, the company became a private limited company under the name Román Artacho y Compañía. In 1940, it changed into a public limited company and adopted its current name. The company underwent an expansion, increasing the number of barrels to 4,000 and the capacity of its warehouses to two million litres. Further expansions followed in 1950, in the midst of the export boom to America, and in the 1970s, when Banco Santander became a shareholder. During the 1980s and 1990s,  Riojanas introduced new technology and added facilities for winemaking, oak ageing and bottle storage. In the 1990s, storage capacity was almost doubled to mark the company's centenary.

For its 125th anniversary, the original 1890 building was refurbished to house an auditorium and a winery for special wines. Capable of handling 90,000 kg of grapes, the house’s top modern cuvées are vinified there: Gran Albina and Albina Esencia. Visitors can still walk next to the old wooden vats, which remained in use until 2000, and admire old vintages associated with major events and milestones in the estate’s history.

Old vintages were not revered in the past as they are these days. Until the 1960s, library bottles were rarely stored in the cellar, and it was not until the following decade that dedicated storage facilities were built. Surprisingly, the board of directors then decided against laying down wine between 1980 and 1998.

Bodegas Riojanas is one of the few Spanish wine companies to be listed on the stock exchange. The move came in 1997, when Banco Santander withdrew from the shareholding. Around 60% of the shares remained in the hands of the Frías Artacho and Artacho Nieto families, descendants of the founders, until mid-2026, when financial difficulties led to a debt restructuring and the winery’s acquisition by Vintae. One of Rioja’s most dynamic wine groups over the past two decades, Vintae acquired 90% of the share capital through its investment company, Gevisa Wine Capital, with the remaining 10% staying on the stock market. The agreement included the capitalisation of the debt and the implementation of a viability plan.

Historic brands

Viña Albina, a vineyard planted with white grapes, was the first brand of Bodegas Riojanas. Monte Real was launched in the 1930s by French oenologist Gabriel Larrendat, before he returned to his country in 1933. The name refers to El Monte, an area of Cenicero with clay-limestone soils, gravel and some alluvial deposits from its proximity to the river Ebro. This is a poor terrain, with little water retention and good concentration. Grapes from this area still make their way to the winery, although they are usually blended with fruit from other areas of Cenicero.

At the time of Vintae’s acquisition, Bodegas Riojanas owned 200 hectares of vineyards, most of them managed by a farming company belonging to the owner families. Beyond Cenicero, grapes were sourced from San Vicente de la Sonsierra, where the company has additional winemaking and ageing facilities that account for 30% of its production, as well as from Uruñuela, San Asensio, Briones and Labastida.

In terms of winemaking, grape varieties were fermented together until the 1990s, reflecting the traditional  field blends of the time. According to Felipe Nalda Frías, winemaker from 1964 until his retirement in 2008, “white grapes where put aside when possible”, but the finished wines generally had between 10% and 15% white grapes. Garnacha, mainly sourced from Tudelilla in Rioja Baja, was also added to raise alcohol to 12.5% abv. It was also common to buy wine from local cosecheros until the widespread arrival of cooperatives in the region. This improved winemaking standards, Nalda recalls,  but made it more difficult to select specific batches. Other practices of the past included blending vintage to improve and refresh the wines.

The legendary 1964 vintage spent six years in barrels. “It was a generous vintage, with unusually high alcohol for the time and some residual sugar, but the wines have stood the test of time,” says Nalda. Riojanas has a relatively large collection of old Rioja.

Today’s Gran Reserva reds are the successors of the former 6th Year wines, which were bottled after six years in barrel. Ageing times now range between 34 to 40 months. Production stands at 300,000 bottles each of Viña Albina and Monte Real Gran Reserva. Monte Real is made from 100% Tempranillo and is slightly more structured, with most of it sold through the on-trade. Viña Albina, by contrast, is aimed at the off-trade  and includes Mazuelo and Graciano in the blend, as well as a relatively high proportion of grapes from San Vicente de la Sonsierra. It is lighter in style and has higher acidity.

A historic producer of white wines, Riojanas saw the decline of barrel-aged styles in the 1990s. Its current portfolio includes semi-sweet and a sweet Reserva wines under the Viña Albina brand.

Around 20% of the wines are sold abroad. The main export markets are the UK followed by Germany, Mexico and the US, where Riojanas has a commercial office. As a group, Riojanas has expanded into Toro with Bodegas Torreduero and also produces wines in Rueda (700,000 bottles), Rías Baixas (100,000 bottles of Veiga Naúm Albariño), Ribera del Duero, Cava, Penedès and more recently in Bierzo with the brand Viore which is also used in Rueda, Toro and Ribera. 

Vintae's main interest in Riojanas lies in the company’s historic brands and its Reserva and Gran Reserva wines. Across the group’s other wineries, the focus will be on seeking synergies with Vintae’s own projects, particularly in Toro, Rueda and Ribera del Duero, where it does not have its own facilities, while also avoiding unnecessary overlaps.