Bodegas Gregorio Martínez

Founded in the 1970s by Don Gregorio Martinez, a well-known Riojan entrepreneur, he began acquiring plots of land around Sorzano, his wife’s home town. Now the estate covers 150 hectares spanning the towns of Nalda, Sorzano, and Entrena, of which 32 hectares are planted vineyards.

Currently managed by his descendants, the project changed dramatically after the arrival of winemaker Ricardo Cantera in 2009. They used to sell grapes to other wineries and make a classic range of wines based on the Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva categories but now they have started making a new range of fresh reds and whites. The oenologist, Ricardo Cantera, developed a patented method of production which consists of extracting and re-circulating the carbonic gases that are naturally produced during fermentation into the bottom of the fermentation tank; this gently turns the wine over, which helps to eliminate unwanted bacteria while preserving good bacteria, making the wine more aromatic and alive. Another advantage of this system is the ability to work with very low quantities of sulfites.

The grape varieties grown on the estate are Tempranillo, Mazuelo, and Viura, all of which are native to Spain.