![Collection of Spanish wines including Vega Sicilia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Collection_of_Spanish_wines_including_Vega_Sicilia.jpg)
Bodegas Vega Sicilia is a
Spanish winery located in the
Ribera del Duero
Ribera del Duero is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) located in the country's northern plateau and is one of eleven 'quality wine' regions within the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also one of several recogni ...
''
Denominación de Origen'' in the
Province of Valladolid
Valladolid () is a Provinces of Spain, province of northwest Spain, in the central part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Castile and León. It has a population of 520,716 people in a total of 225 munici ...
,
Castile and León
Castile and León ( es, Castilla y León ; ast-leo, Castiella y Llión ; gl, Castela e León ) is an autonomous community in northwestern Spain.
It was created in 1983, eight years after the end of the Francoist regime, by the merging of the ...
(northern Spain). The winery was founded in 1864 by Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves, who planted various grapes from the
Bordeaux wine
Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the ...
region of France, including
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...
and
Merlot
Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...
, which are still being used in the wines today.
[J. Gordon (ed) ''Opus Vino'' pg 215, DK Publishing New York 2010, ]
Since 1982, the same year that the Ribera del Duero was granted ''Denominación de Origen'' (DO) status, the winery has been owned by the Álvarez family who are members of the
Primum Familiae Vini
Primum Familiae Vini (often abbreviated PFV, Latin: "First Families of Wine") is an association of family-owned wineries with a membership limited to twelve families.
History
The association was established in 1993 by Miguel Torres and Robert ...
.
In comparing the wines of Spain to the
First Growth
First Growth (french: Premier Cru) status is a classification of wines primarily from the Bordeaux region of France.
The best of the best wines were assigned the highest rank of Premier Cru; only five wines, Château Lafite Rothschild, Châtea ...
wines of
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
, wine expert
Hugh Johnson, after comparing
Rioja producers
Marqués de Riscal and
Marqués de Murrieta to
Château Lafite Rothschild
Château Lafite Rothschild is a French wine estate of Bordeaux wine, Bordeaux wine, located in Pauillac in France, owned by members of the Rothschild family since the 19th century, and rated as a First Growth under the Bordeaux Wine Official ...
and
Château Mouton Rothschild
Château Mouton Rothschild is a wine estate located in the village of Pauillac in the Médoc region, 50 km (30 mi) north-west of the city of Bordeaux, France. Originally known as ''Château Brane-Mouton'', its red wine was renamed by ...
, respectively, stated: "Vega Sicilia is the
Latour
Latour may refer to:
People
* LaTour, American musician
Surname
* House of Baillet
** Alfred de Baillet Latour (1901–1980),
**Henri de Baillet-Latour (1876–1942), Belgian aristocrat and the third president of the International Olympic Comm ...
; but Latour of a vintage that has raisined the grapes and fried the picking crews."—a reference to the significantly warmer climate and different growing conditions of the Ribera del Duero.
[High Johnson ''Vintage: The Story of Wine'' pg 429–432 Simon and Schuster 1989 ]
Vega Sicilia's wines are recognised worldwide as some of the finest and most valued
red wine
Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties. The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice from most purple grap ...
s on the market, with its top wine selling for an average of $497 per bottle.
History
![Duero river going through Castile and Leon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Duero_river_going_through_Castile_and_Leon.jpg)
Vega Sicilia was founded by
Eloy Lecanda y Chaves, a Spanish winemaker who was trained in the
Bordeaux wine region
The wine regions of Bordeaux are a large number of wine growing areas, differing widely in size and sometimes overlapping, which lie within the overarching wine region of Bordeaux, centred on the city of Bordeaux and covering the whole area of the ...
of France. When he returned to his homeland of
Castile, Don Eloy Lecanda brought with him several Bordeaux
grape varieties
This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...
.
[K. MacNeil ''The Wine Bible'' pg 430-435 Workman Publishing 2001 ] In the 20th century, Vega Sicilia earned a reputation as being one of the most notable wines in Spain.
[A. Bespaloff ''Complete Guide to Wine'' pg 174-175 Penguin Books 1994 ]
Over its history, the winery has had many notable winemakers including Mariano García who was winemaker from 1966 to 1996 before moving on to produce his own labels. Today, the current winemaker is Xavier Ausás.
Name
![Francisco da Silva Romão - Santa Cecília](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Francisco_da_Silva_Rom%C3%A3o_-_Santa_Cec%C3%ADlia.jpg)
The name Vega Sicilia has appeared in Spanish documents that existed several centuries before the winery was founded though the exact origin of the name is currently unknown. Despite the similarities of the name, Vega Sicilia has no connection to the island of
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
of the
Italian wines
Italian wine is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, and contributing a 2013–2017 annual average of 48.3 million hl of wine. In 2018 Italy accounted for ...
of that region. The word ''Vega'' refers to the green vegetation that grows along the riverbank of the Duero while ''Sicilia'' refers to
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia ( la, Sancta Caecilia), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman virgin martyr and is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She b ...
, the patron saint of musicians, after whom several villages in
Castile and León
Castile and León ( es, Castilla y León ; ast-leo, Castiella y Llión ; gl, Castela e León ) is an autonomous community in northwestern Spain.
It was created in 1983, eight years after the end of the Francoist regime, by the merging of the ...
is named after. The winery's founder Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves left no known written records on why he chose Vega Sicilia as his winery's name.
Vineyards
When Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves first planted the vineyards of Vega Sicilia he included Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo and
Malbec
Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...
in his plantings. The extensive use of Bordeaux varieties was unusual in the Ribera del Duero at the time and though future plantings have focused more on Tempranillo, nearly 40% of Vega Sicilia's vineyards are still planted with traditional Bordeaux varieties including nearly 25% planted to Cabernet Sauvignon alone.
Many of Vega Sicilia's 250 acres are planted with old vines, some more than 100 years old, and thus usually produce a very low
yield during
harvest
Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...
. In fact, many of the plantings that go into the flagship ''Unico'' wines are often harvested at less than one ton per acre. Los Hernandez used to provide its essence by natural additions.
Wines
Vega Sicilia is noted for its patience in
winemaking
Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and ...
and willingness to hold onto their inventory and
age their wines in the barrel and bottle for many years until it fits the style that the producers are looking for. Depending on the vintage, the wine could be held by Vega Sicilia for decades until it is released. For example, in 1991 the winery released both the 1968 and 1982 vintages after 23 and 9 years aging.
Vega Sicilia produces three different types of wine.
* Unico - This
Gran Reserva
Reserve wine is wine of a higher quality than usual, a wine that has been aged before sale, or both. Traditionally, winemakers would reserve some of their best wine rather than sell it immediately, coining the term.
In some countries the use of t ...
wine is the signature wine of Vega Sicilia that is usually released 10 years after
vintage
Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...
though some bottlings may not be released for up to 15 years or even longer. Taken from some of the oldest vines in the Ribera del Duero, the wine is mostly
Tempranillo
Tempranillo (also known as Ull de Llebre, Cencibel, Tinto Fino and Tinta del Pais in Spain, Aragonez or Tinta Roriz in Portugal, and several other synonyms elsewhere) is a black grape variety widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its ...
(approximately 80% but depending on vintage) and Cabernet Sauvignon (approximately 20%). In an average vintage, ''Unico'' will account for a little less than a third of Vega Sicilia's production.
Though in poor vintages, the winery may not produce any Unico.
* Valbuena 5° - The 5° indicates that this wine has been aged for five years prior to release. The wine is composed mostly of Tempranillo, with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
*Vega Sicilia Unico Reserva Especial - A non-vintage blend of different ''Unicos'', aged at least for 10 years. This wine can include grapes from vintages harvested more than 30 years apart and usually only available to private customers under strict allocation.
Other wines
Until 1998, Vega Sicilia also produced a Valbuena 3° (indicating three years of aging prior to release), although this wine has since been removed from the market.
In 1991, the Alvarez family established Alión winery next door to Vega Sicilia with the aim of producing more modern style ''Tinto Fino'' red wines that are aged in new
French oak barrels. In 1997, they established the Pintía winery in the nearby
Toro wine region.
References
External links
Vega Sicilia website
{{wines
1864 establishments in Spain
Wineries of Spain
Province of Valladolid
Primum Familiae Vini
Wine brands