Bodega
History
Bodegas Fernández de Piérola was founded in 1996 with the goal of making quality wines with a personality that would set them apart from the acute uniformity shown by a large part of Rioja wines.
With this two-pronged goal in mind, we built a small family bodega supplied by the family vineyards, which are located in Moreda (Rioja Alavesa), a town with a long-standing winemaking tradition.
Grape growing and winemaking activities in Moreda are as old as the town itself. The oldest document in existence to mention the location dates to 939AD. It is a diploma that contains the vows of the Count of Castile, Fernán González, on behald of the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla which required that every year, each household of the 'Rivo de Moreta' (Latin for 'River of Moreda') contribute a measure of wine as an obligation to the monastery.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, all the village households pledged a tithe of wine to the Church, as shown in the Books of Tithes and Gifts, with the exception of one family that gave an amount approximately 1600 litres a year directly to the Royal Household - undisputable proof of the quality of the wines from Moreda.
In view of this background and of our origins and ties to Moreda, it was easy to choose the location of the new Bodega, to perpetuate the tradition of our forefathers transmitted from one generation to the next.
Philosophy
Our Bodega's philosophy is to make top quality wines with a tasting profile that will offer unique characteristics, considering the vineyard as a key quality factor without forgetting oenological techniques. These are aimed at achieving powerful, well-structired wines, where the aromas of the Tempranillo grapes are balanced and blended with those from good, patient ageing to create intense, complex, elegant reds and fresh, aromatic whites that retain a warm background from the new oak wood where the must was fermented leaving fruity, smooth, well-balanced sensations.