Araex: Invent the Future
Long-focused on expressing Rioja Alavesa’s diverse vineyard sites, Araex is now busy expanding its vision.
RIOJA STANDS proudly as one of the wine world’s great success stories. Recognised and desired by consumers around the globe, it sits in the privileged group of “must-have” regions for just about any serious retailer or restaurant. That’s not to suggest that Rioja faces no challenges however; one wine group in particular has built an ambitious business strategy around making sure this region continues to meet the changing needs of export markets.
Created in 1993, Araex brought together nine small and medium-sized wineries in Rioja Alavesa. At the time, founder Javier Galarreta wanted to address the highly fragmented nature of DOCa Rioja, then very much dominated by producers in Rioja Alta, that he believed was holding his home region back from reaching its full commercial potential. It soon became apparent that Araex’s proposition filled a key gap in Rioja’s wine offer. Galarreta recalls the existence of “many import companies in search of individual wines from family businesses, as they had done in France and Germany. And that was exactly what we could offer: the singularity and the expression of the terroir of the vines located in the Rioja Alavesa sub-region.”
Today that focus on capturing the character of individual vineyard sites is becoming an ever more important part of the Rioja conversation. While big brands and the region’s classification system both remain important marketing influences, once you reach the upper end of the quality spectrum then terroir has – or should have – a major role in explaining what distinguishes one wine from another. For Galarreta, it is crucial that his region can find a way to show off individually these varied aspects that co- exist under a single banner. “We must flee from standardisation,” he insists. “Rioja has a strong image; it is the most important collective trademark in Spain. And that, paradoxically, is also the problem. Our task is to manage the offer by segmenting it, because we cannot enter markets today with a collective trademark without providing a segmentation by different levels.”
For Araex, the Alavesa region offers an ideal base from which to spread the word about Rioja’s distinct village and vineyard identity. Its six wineries span five villages and each clings proudly to an individual personality. Perhaps the most visually striking of the group is the glass structure of Bodegas Baigorri in Samaniego. This sits on top of a hi-tech subterranean winery producing a range of wines in a modern style, including Baigorri Reserva, whose 2007 vintage won the top accolade of Master in The Drinks Business Rioja Masters 2014.
Another high performer is Bodegas Amaren in the village of Villabuena, where small plots of old vines produce modest quantities of wine. Again, the latest Rioja Masters picked out a star expression from this estate in the form of Gold medal winning Amaren Tempranillo Reserva.
Villabuena is also home to Bodegas Luis Cañas, whose 310 hectares are broken down into 815 different plots. With vinification geared towards preserving the individual character of these sites, personality is as key at crianza level as for the gran reserva or special edition wines.
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Moving up to the sloping vineyards around the village of Laguardia is one of the newest additions to Rioja Alavesa: Altos de Rioja. Since 2006 this small-scale winery has been drawing on an impressive array of expertise, including the services of former Haut Brion – now Laithwaites – winemaker Jean-Marc Sauboua. Wines such as its “Pigeage” expression show off what Rioja’s “new wave” producers can achieve.
Then, over 600 metres up in the village of Elvillar de Álava, there lies Bodegas Lar de Paula, where the Meruelo family has been working since 1964 to create the best possible expression of Rioja’s Tempranillo grape.
The final piece in the Araex jigsaw is Bodegas y Viñedos Labastida in the historic village of the same name. Squeezed between the sheltering Sierra Cantabria mountains and the river Ebro, it is here that the influences of climate, soil and topography in Alavesa are at their most striking.
Twenty years since the group began its mission, Araex now accounts for over a fifth of exports from Rioja Alavesa, with representation in 70 countries worldwide. Such growth offers a pleasing vindication of Galarreta’s original vision, a specialist focus he has since expanded to other regions through the creation in 2001 of Spanish Fine Wines. 2013 saw the company’s scope develop an ambitious stage further with the establishment of The Grand Wines project. Dedicated to driving innovation at a high quality level, the scheme has so far pioneered environmental improvements, advances in precision viticulture and the launch of Rolland Galarreta, a new range of wines from Rueda, Rioja and Ribera del Duero, which have been made in partnership with influential consultant Michel Rolland.
With further initiatives promised for the future, this is a group with a clear vision not just for Rioja but for all Spanish wine. “We are at a decisive moment,” concludes Galaretta. “Ahead of us is an exciting period, full of opportunities and challenges. The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”
