Haro, end of the 19th Century. This was a time when Rioja was welcoming French winemakers from Bordeaux in search for grapes and wine to replace theirs, having been destroyed by phylloxera. Trade brought along an exchange of knowledge from which both locals and visitors benefited. One of those Rioja winemakers was Felipe Ugalde, a curious fellow from Haro who spurred by his French colleagues’ experience, decided that his objective had to be making wines of superior quality that transmitted the values of Rioja’s terroir.

He founded the original Bodegas Ugalde cellar and brand in 1882 which he spread to other countries by also establishing the region’s first export alliance with other Rioja winemakers. He was the pioneer of the exports of wines from Rioja, the first winemaker who promoted sales to the international markets. Over 130 years later, his legacy lives only ten kilometers away from Logroño, spread the first vineyards planted in the property.

Nestled between the North shore of the Ebro River and the Eastern-most skirts of the Sierra de Cantabria, Bodegas Ugalde´s team had to decide what kind of wines they would make. For that, they looked back on history and were inspired by Ugalde’s vision of 1882: Bringing Rioja terroir, as the new team understands it, into each bottle of Bodegas Ugalde.