The relationship with the Cvne group comes from long ago, but it has been intensified since the end of 2013, when the legendary Haro winery took control of 95% of the company.

A pioneer of the single vineyard wine concept in Rioja, Viñedos del Contino was born in 1973 as a partnership between the Pérez Villota family, owners of Finca San Rafael (Laserna, Rioja Alavesa) and Cvne. The idea of making wine from a single terroir was unheard of in Rioja, where mixing grapes from different areas in the region was the norm. With this attitude in mind (and taking into account the quality of its wines since its early days) Contino must be seen as one of the instigators of the Rioja wine revolution and, together with Remelluri, as the leading advocate of the château concept in the DO.

A unique vineyard

The estate covers 62 hectares under vine on pebble soils in a meander of the Ebro river. Bunches ripen well on this location and result in wines with power, structure and great fruit expression which go well with Cvne's historical profile. Winemaker Jesús Madrazo, son of one of Jose A. Madrazo and Real de Asúa, one othe project's founders, was in charge of the wines between 1999 and 2017 when Aragonese producer and consultant Jorge Navascués took over.

Among the measures adopted during his tenure are a new soil study and classification, conducted between 2017 and 2020, which has made it possible to farm smaller land units, fermenting these plots separately and exploring the different nuances of Tempranillo. "Contino is a site made up of micro-plots," explains Navascués.

All Contino reds -whose labels feature the image of Saint Gregory, protector of the vineyards- include Graciano in the blend. In fact, it was the first winery in Rioja to produce a single varietal (Contino Graciano, €78) wine with this complicated but tremendously lively and long-lasting variety which gives its best when it is fully matured (if it fails to ripen it might turn austere, herbaceous and extremely acidic).

Classic styles and new wines

The Reserva (around €30 in Spain, 300,000 bottles) is Contino's flagship wine and bestseller. With a good aging potential, it exemplifies a timeless Rioja, with intensity, balance and length.

Contino Viña del Olivo (around €80), its top wine, is rather impressive and stands as one of the greatest modern Riojas. It is a blend of very ripe grapes from old Tempranillo vines planted around an ancient olive tree and a particulary intense and vibrant Graciano. The percentage of Graciano varies according to the characteristics of the harvest and the needs to liven up the Tempranillo in the blend. Some of the grapes for Contino Gran Reserva (around 30,000 bottles, €69) come from the El Olivo plot, but in this case the wine is made with a classic approach.

The range also includes an original oak-aged rosé (€30) made from Graciano, Garnacha and Mazuelo, and a single varietal Garnacha (around 10,000 bottles, €29) which is now maturing in an Austrian foudre, 500-litre barrels and concrete vats.

The white Contino is a blend of Viura with around 10 to 15% Garnacha Blanca. Recent changes include using Burgundy-shaped bottles from the 2017 vintage, reducing the amount of new oak to 50% and ageing up to 30% of the wine in concrete vats. The goal is to ensure it ages as well as the red wines.