Spain’s Alma Carraovejas buys two Galician wineries

Spanish wine company Alma Carraovejas in Ribera del Duero has snapped up two wineries in Galicia for an undisclosed sum as part of its vineyard expansion plan.

Viña Meín’s vines are planted on steep slopes near the town of Leiro in Ribeiro

As reported by Wine Spectator, the acquisition included the small production Emilio Rojo and Viña Meín wineries in the Galician DO of Ribeiro, taking Alma Carraovejas’ vineyard land to 200 hectares.

Winemaker Emilio Rojo will stay on at his eponymous estate following its sale

The 18-hectare, 5,000-case, Viña Meín was founded in 1988 and focuses on white blends made from Treixadura, Godello, Lado, Loureira, Torrontés and Albariño, and also makes reds from Caíño Tinto, Brancellao and Souson.

Following the sale, Alma Carraovejas’s CEO, Pedro Ruiz Aragoneses, is keen to reduce the number of wines in the portfolio, refine the blends, modernise the winery and increase tourism via a new tasting room and the introduction of tours.

The company is also keen to increase Viña Meín’s exports to the US and China.

The two-hectare Emilio Rojo meanwhile, was founded by former engineer Emilio Rojo in 1987, who plans to stay on at the estate following the sale.

Alma Carraovejas is on a mission to highlight Spain’s little-known grapes and old vineyard sites, and Ribeiro is home to a number of neglected hillside vineyards with the potential to be revived and restored.

Alma Carraovejas’s flagship estate, Pago de Carraovejas, produces 50,000 cases a year of Tempranillo, Cabernet and Merlot in Ribera del Duero.