Dinastia Vivanco

The wines of Dinastia Vivanco are born in the vineyard. That is where they truly gain their personality: that of the terroir, the landscape, and everything that happens over the course of a whole year. Therefore, when construction of the winery began, Dinastia Vivanco already had a clear idea of what they wanted to achieve. The aim was to treat the grapes with respect, in order to highlight their qualities. And that is exactly what has been done at Dinastia Vivanco.

Dinastia Vivanco – Rioja at its finest

All grapes are hand-harvested here and placed in small tubs or boxes so that the berries do not burst and remain intact. After they arrive at the Dinastia Vivanco winery, vinification begins with the most innovative aspect of the facility: a cold room in which the grapes are cooled for 24 hours to bring their temperature down to 3°C. But why? To extract the color and aromas of the grapes in the tank in a less aggressive way and thus preserve their full personality. In a way, Dinastia Vivanco creates an especially cold infusion of grapes and must, which can be called not only cold maceration but almost ice-cold maceration. 

Double selection of bunches and berries

All grapes at Dinastia Vivanco first pass over a bunch-sorting table and then over a berry-sorting table. As all bunches move past at a low but continuous speed, leaves, shoots, bunches and berries in poor condition, as well as small remnants of stems, are removed. The goal is that only the best grapes become part of the future wine.

Working with gravity – almost a matter of course

Another hallmark of Dinastia Vivanco is the almost exclusive use of gravity. The grapes are received, sorted and destemmed on the highest level, where the tanks are located. There is a height difference of 5 meters from the upper to the lower floor. This allows the grapes to flow into the tanks by their own weight and removes the need for pumping.

Vinification in small French oak barrels

Another hallmark of Dinastia Vivanco is the use of French oak barrels made from particularly fine-grained oak, in which the wines age and also undergo malolactic fermentation. Malolactic fermentation is the natural conversion of malic acid into lactic acid, which, at the same pH value, is perceived by the human palate as milder. Dinastia Vivanco wines undergo malolactic fermentation in large French oak casks – Crianzas and Reservas, as well as the limited-production Colección Vivanco, even in French oak barriques.

Terroirs and grape varieties at Dinastia Vivanco

If one had to choose a single word to define La Rioja, it would probably be “diversity.” The terrain, the type of wind, the color of the soil—every meter, every leap from one village to the next brings a change in the landscape. If you were to draw a horizontal line on a map, you would see that it is only 100 kilometers from the westernmost to the easternmost part of La Rioja. To the north lies the Sierra de Cantabria, to the south the Sierra de la Demanda, and from west to east it is crossed by the River Ebro. That is La Rioja: a large valley between two mountain ranges that protect it. The western part is called Rioja Alta, then comes Central Rioja, and then the eastern part, called Rioja Baja—all within 100 kilometers.

This diversity determines grape growing. Each grape variety finds its ideal place to express itself. Some, like Garnacha Tinta, need more light, while others, like Tempranillo, thrive best with cool nights and slow ripening.

Harvest at Dinastia Vivanco

All grapes are harvested by hand in small 10 kg containers to avoid damage and ensure that the berries remain as intact as possible. The harvest time is mainly determined by strict ripeness control, during which the grapes are tasted plot by plot.

Rafael Vivanco Saenz – the winemaker

Rafael was born in Logroño in 1975 as the son of the winery’s founder. Wine was very important for his family and for him as well, although he has to admit that, as a boy, there were more important things for him. At the age of 18, Rafael went to Pamplona to study agricultural engineering because, in addition to feeling wine, it is of course also about knowledge. Rafael Vivanco Saenz truly fell in love in Bordeaux. Two years of study at the Faculty of Oenology and another two years of winemaking at some of the most renowned wineries in the region led him to reflect deeply on what La Rioja and its terroirs are capable of offering. In 2001, Rafael Vivanco Saenz returned to Briones with his ideas and set to work.

Awards for Dinastia Vivanco

Thanks to Rafael Vivanco’s personal viticultural vision, Bodegas Vivanco has received a number of awards, both for the quality of its wines and for its combination of modern, innovative methods with traditional techniques in all stages of winemaking.

• Wine & Spirits: Top 100 Wineries of the Year 2014
• Gourmets Guide: Winery of the Year 2013
• La Rioja Internationalization Prize for Bodegas Dinastía Vivanco 2012
• Verema: Best Winery of the Year 2009 
• Travel and Tourism Magazine: Prize for the Best Winery in Spain 2009