Rioja Blanco "en Barrica" Bodegas Manzanos, Rioja ES, NV

The harvest is carried out at early morning by hand in boxes of 15 kg. This, together with the proximity of the vineyards to the winery, means that the grapes arrive fresh, without oxidation and in optimal conditions. Once in the cellar, each variety is elaborated separately to respect their different characteristics. The alcoholic fermentation begins in the tank and after 2-3 days it goes to the barrel to finish fermentation and starts aging. For 9 months, both varieties ferment and age in the selected types of barrels and the final coupage is the blend of all of them.

Elaborated from grapes from two vineyards. La Ladera, a 50 year old bush trained vineyard which produces a highly valued Viura grape. Situated at 350m, it receives sunshine all day and these grapes give the characteristic of maturity and body to make this wine. The other vineyard, Finca Torraza, is found at a similar altitude. A high trellised vineyard where the green canopy is maintained to ensure the necessary freshness from Chardonnay needed to make this wine.

The history of Bodegas Manzanos is the history of a family, of their effort, their perseverance and their know-how. The Fernández de Manzanos family have been cultivating vines and making wine for more than a century.

It was exactly in 1890 when the first generation of this family founded a small winery in Azagra with a production capacity of 50,000 liters of wine.

In the 1940s, they inaugurated a new facility that expanded its capacity to 350,000 liters, highlighting the winemaking tradition of this area. Between the 50s and 60s they consolidated their winery project, with the creation of the Viña Marichalar winery, the first attached to the Rioja Qualified Denomination of Origin with a capacity of more than 1.5 million liters.

In the 1990s, Víctor Fernández de Manzanos Pastor , the fourth generation, joined the family business, after studying Chemical Engineering and obtaining a Master's Degree in Viticulture and Oenology from the Higher Technical School of Agricultural Engineers of the Polytechnic University of Madrid; he is the first member of the family with training in viticulture and oenology.

Víctor then built the Marqués de Butrago winery and decided to carry out his life project, the construction of Bodegas Manzanos.

Today, the visible faces of Bodegas Manzanos are those of the brothers Víctor and David Fernández de Manzanos , along with Laura Mateo , the former's wife. In 2010 these young entrepreneurs took the reins of the winery and have turned Bodegas Manzanos into a prosperous, modern business equipped with the latest technologies in the sector, which has managed to preserve the old flavor of tradition; of the legacy received.