Description

You can have all the accolades in the world, but nothing beats the knowledge that your wine is the drink of choice from the region of its creation. This holds true for Ramón Bilbao, the Rioja that Spanish people drink.

Now hailed as one of Spain’s most innovative producers, Ramón Bilbao was established way back in 1924, when Don Ramón Bilbao Murga set up his home in the heart of Rioja’s wine region, Haro. Ramón Bilbao was a man ahead of his time who sought to travel the whole world with wine as his only travelling companion. This notion of the brave adventure is still strongly ingrained into the essence of the estate and is reflected in everything they do.

The winery boasts 180 hectares of vineyards, planted between 450m and 720m, in unique settings throughout the region, which stand out due to their altitude and the proximity to mountainside areas. They use grape varieties typical of the area including Tempranillo and Garnacha, as well as small quantities of Mazuelo and Graciano.

The winemaking philosophy at Ramón Bilbao is driven by Rodolfo Bastida, who is committed to crafting wines that express the grapes and terroir as much as possible. Rioja born and bred, Bastida’s appointment as chief winemaker in 1999 marked the moment the estate began their journey towards defining a new Rioja style: wines that are powerful and structured but with balanced acidity and, above all, freshness. By pursuing these more elegant wines, Ramón Bilbao has rebelled against the oaky, fruit-driven wines characteristic of the region.

“Winemaking can be like painting. You can use a big brush and a big pot of one colour to obtain something that’s pretty bland and uninteresting…or you can use a small brush, with lots of small pots of different colours to give character and complexity.”