Bodegas Vega Sicilia

Bodegas Vega Sicilia is located in Valbuena del Duero, Valladolid, in Castilla y León in Spain, and belongs to the Ribera del Duero designation of origin. The estate extends along the banks of the Duero up to the river boundary. The vineyards are situated at an altitude of 700 to 900 metres and are divided into plots according to 19 soil classifications, grape variety and row length.

The roughly 210 hectares of vine area are planted with Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. For Único, Tinto Fino, the estate’s name for Tempranillo, and Cabernet Sauvignon are cited as the most important varieties. The vines are spaced at 3 × 1.5 metres, corresponding to about 2,222 vines per hectare. The minimum age of the vines used for winemaking is ten years; the average age of the productive vines is about 35 years.

The average yield is 1 to 1.5 kilograms of grapes per vine. To regulate the amount harvested, depending on the vintage, green pruning and thinning are used. For new plantings, biological soil cleaning using nematicidal plants is employed, which, according to the winery, can take up to five years. Large temperature differences between day and night can contribute to slow ripening.

Único is produced only in exceptional years and matures for at least ten years in wood and bottle. Fermentation takes place in 19 oak containers. Afterwards, the wine matures in new and used barriques made from French and American oak, as well as in large wooden casks; overall, roughly six years in wood and four years in the bottle are stated. The grapes for Único are hand-harvested into crates of twelve kilograms.

Valbuena 5º is made in stainless-steel tanks and matured for five years. The winery also operates its own cooperage and makes American oak barrels for the ageing of its wines.

The name Vega de Sicilia has been documented since 1577. Toribio Lecanda acquired the estate in 1848; his son Eloy began professional wine production there in 1864. The production buildings were completed in 1882; some of the original buildings are now used as offices and ageing warehouses. After it was acquired by Antonio Herrero Vázquez in 1897, the estate remained in the Herrero family’s ownership for several generations.

In 1907, Cosme Palacio Txomin Garramiola came in to lead wine production. In 1950, Bodegas Vega Sicilia S.A. was formed following the takeover by Prodes. Hans Neumann acquired the estate in 1965, and the Álvarez family acquired the winery in 1982. Modernisation of the vineyards and the winery was completed in 2014.