Cenicero

If you continue south on the A-3210/LR-211 from Elciego, past Viña Salceda (Alavesa), you will arrive at the historic village of Cenicero sitting along the southern bank of the bend in the Ebro river, where you will find two of the oldest bodegas in La Rioja. The village, first settled sometime during the third or second millennia BC, was occupied by the Arabs until 740, when Alfonso I of Asturias expelled the Muslims from villages in the north during the early years of the reconquest of Spain. During years of continuous warfare in what was a no man’s land, the Muslims returned to reconquer parts of the land before Sancho Garcés (Sancho III) de Navarra, one of the first great patrons of the Way of Saint James, reconquered Viguera, Cenicero and Nájera, making them, at that time, part of the kingdom of Navarra. The name Cenicero refers to either the place in which coal was made or the ashes left over from the shepherds bonfires. The medieval settlement of “Los Paletones” lies to the west, on a hill above the Najerilla river. 

If you plan on staying in the area, then the DWO Rioja Wine Hotel is a good possiblity.

If you think you will be in Cenicero around lunchtime, you can book a table at Bar Restaurante Olano at Calle la Victoria, 40, closed Sundays. For something different you can try Bodega 1880, a restored cellar started by two brothers. You can have wine, beer and tapas. Or consider reserving a table at one of our recommended restaurants in Fuenmayor or Elciego.

Wineries of interest

Bodegas Marqués de Cáceres

Enrique Forner, who had learned the wine trade from his father, returned to La Rioja in 1968 after being exiled in France during the Civil War and in 1970 founded this notable winery based on lessions he had learned in the Bordeaux region from Bordeaux wine pioneer Emile Peynaud, revolutionizing winemaking in the Rioja. His wines quickly rose to prominence on the international scene. The winery is now under the direction of his daughter, Cristina Forner, Presidenta Bodegas Marqués Cáceres

A VIP tour/tasting of three wines is 25€/person, paired with cheeses from the Los Cameros region, is available by reservation only Monday to Saturday. The tour with at tasting of four wines from la colección Excellens is 50€. The El Encuentro de Sabores visit, a “Gathering of Flavors”, is 100€/person, offered only on Fridays every other week, but not available during the summer months. The wine bar and store are open by reservations only. You can request a visit either online, by calling (+34) 941 454 744 / 626 653 782, or by emailing reservas@marquesdecaceres.com.

Bodegas Riojanas

This is another one of the Rioja’s centenarian wineries, founded in 1890 by the Frias Artacho family and Rafael Carreras. The winery controls more than 300 hectares of vineyards in Cenicero, San Vicente de la Sonsierra and other nearby villages.

Their Wine Sensacions guided tour with a tasting of three wines and an aperitivo are available at 24€/person, children 12€. The Gallery Visit is 50€ with minimum group of 4 people. There is also a wine shop where you can taste a wide selection of wines if you do not want to do a guided tour. Reserve online, call (+34) 941 454 050 or email info@bodegasriojanas.com to arrange a tour and tasting.

El Legado

The Legacy project was born from the family’s desire to revive part of Cenicero’s history. Calado de catas, the two tasting cellars, date from the 15th-century.

A special 2-hour visit includes a tour of the vineyards and lunch paired with Legado Ancestral wine for 40€/person, minumum group of 6. The 2-hour Legacy Visit is 20€ for a minmum of 2 people and includes a visit to the winery and cellars, a tasting of three Legado Ancestral wines paired with tapas from the region. Contact them online or call or WhatsApp (+34) 627 364 648 for additional information.

Bodegas Mazuela

Manuel García, born in the vineyards, opened his own winery after 12 years as a manager of a cooperative and private winery, Bodegas Marqués de Terán, so that he could work the family vineyards and make his own wines. The cellar, at Ctra. Laguardia, the LR-211, next to the Marqués de Cáceres complex, currently holds 160 barrels of new French oak, with the wines being racked twice a year. 

Visits are by appointment only and can be arranged by emailing Manuel at manuel@bodegasmazuela.com, or calling him at (+34) 607 548 054 / 941 455 118.

Bodegas Valentín Pascual

It was in 1885 that Don Felipe Lagunilla San Martín produced his first wines, five generations later it is one of the last wineries in La Rioja that continues the traditional treading of the grapes barefoot, fermenting them in a lago de piedra, a stone vat in a 15th-century cave behind an arched stone openings eight meters deep.

If you would like to experience the traditional methods of making wine, a tradition that has nearly disappeared, and artisan vermouth, guided tours are available daily. Call (+34) 941 454 053 or email José Maria info@bodegasvalentinpascual.com to reserve a visit to their small family winery at Plaza de España, 8, in the old quarter of Cenicero. 

Bodegas Tritium

Instead of building a new winery from scratch, the family decided on a total renovation an existing 16th-century winery, with its original ashlar stone lagar and wine press, in Cenicero’s old town at Avenida de la libertad, 9, with spectacular results. The family, the 5th-generation, owns 8 hectares of vineyards in Cenicero and Tricio ranging in age from 90 to 113 years.  

Tours in Spanish are available daily at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm and 4:30 pm and in English at 11:00 am, 12:30 pm and 4:00 pm. The standard tour, with a tasting of two wines and an aperitivo, is 30€/person. The Singular tour, with a tasting of four wines, is 60€. The premium tour, which includes a visit to the bodega and vineyards, is 105€/person. You can book a tour online, or you call (+34) 629 152 822 / 627 410 801 for reservations.

Bodegas Murillo Viteri

This small family winery is the result of six generations of love, work and passion since their great-great-grandfather Ruperto Rubio first ventured to make and market wines in the “Las Erres” winery, an architectural jewel steeped in history, and still part of the family. The new winery, built a few years ago, was one of the first in Europe to provide 100% accessibility. The vineyards; Los Valles, Tahola and Valdegún, are located in Cenicero and Fuenmayor at an elevation of 466 meters with an average age of 35.

Guided tours on the first Saturday of each month, with a tasting of four wines, are 20€/person and available by reserving online or by calling Andrea, Patxi, or Iñaki at (+34) 944 495 839. or email them at imurillo@bodegasmurilloviteri.com if you have any questions.

Bodegas Consejo de la Alta

Don Hipólito Bañuelos began in the wine business in 1846 when he set up a small cellar in Briones to make his own wine. The winery, now in Cenicero, recently became part of Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España, C.V.N.E.. 

The winery is at Avenida de Fuenmayor, s/n, LR-211, open Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm, closed weekends. You can contact C.V.N.E. for additional information or to request a visit to the winery.

Finca Cienvacas

Carlota Simón and her winemaker brother, César Simón Echevarría, produce their wines from the family’s 20 hectares of 60-year old vineyards divided into 9 plots (eight from Tempranillo and one from Graciano) in Cenicero once worked by their grandparents. They opened the new winery, “the farm with 100 cows”, in 2007 on the banks of the Ebro River. The Finca Cienvacas Tempranillo, produced from 40-year old vineyards, was fermented in open vats.

Contact Carlota at rioja@fincacienvacas.com or call (+34) 620 768 460 for additional information.

Bodegas Larraz

The family purchased ‘La Casa de los Navarros’, an old farm on the right bank of the Ebro, between the villages of Cenicero and Huércanos, which once had livestock, in 1940 and began working the land. In 1974 Carlos Piserra, the father, planted Tempranillo grapes to give more value to the farm, selling their highly valued grapes in bulk to other wineries in the area. It wasn’t until 2003 that they started producing their artisan wine, “Caudum Bodegas Larraz”, from a 1/2 hectare plot out of their 17 hectares of vineyards. Despite its small size, you will find Caudum on the menus of such prestigious restaurants as Arzak, Venta Moncalvillo and El Portal del Echaurren. Their first vintage in 2007 was a limited release of 3000 bottles; 600 bottles of Caudum Selección Especial and 2400 bottles of Caudum.

Contact Carlos Piserra, the son, at (+34) 639 728 581, info@bodegaslarraz.com, or contact him online for additional information, or to arrange a visit to the winery.

Bodegas Sáenz de Santamaria

Although the family has a long history in the Rioja of being cosecheros, harvesters, the winery didn’t open until 1993 when the family decided to make their own wines, producing their first vintage in 1994. The winery is located about half-way between Cenicero and Torremontalbo along the N-232. Their 60 hectares of vineyards, the oldest, Viñedo Rondan, dating from 1886, are spread out behind and above the winery, extending as far south as Huércanos. The cellar holds 1800 barrels of American and French oak and a bottle storage for aging wine.

You can visit the winery Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and on Saturdays from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm. Sundays are by appointment only. Email José at bodegas@bodegassaenzdesantamaria.com or call (+34) 941 454 008 / 941 454 063 to arrange a visit.

Bodegas Vergara Verde

This winery is a family tradition dating from the 15th-century. The cellar sits 15 meters underground in an environment of constant humidity and ideal temperature. The historic renovated winery was reopened after years of being neglected and all but forgotten. Today they produce only two limited production premium wines.

You can do a guided tours of the winery and vineyard followed by a tasting of wines and an appetizer. Tours are available in English and Spanish for 30€ and 60€/person and can be booked using WhapsApp (+34) 615 483 839. You can also contact them at info@bodegasvergaraverde.com or call (+34) 636 226 979 for additional information.