Variety: Tempranillo

Every region in Spain produces wine. And while Rioja is its most famous region made from Tempranillo, which may be just as famous, it was the smaller region of Ribera del Duero that made it famous first. If it wasn’t for Vega Sicilia’s recognition of both the 1917 and 1918 vintages at the 1929 World Fair in Barcelona, the reputation of these wines wouldn’t quite be what they are now. Using Tempranillo, then known as a “country wine,” it was then blended with the fruit from Bordeaux vine cuttings. After 1982, the purchase of the Bodega by the Alvarez family shifted the winery towards a modernized hand as well as a welcomed international reputation. Vega Sicilia makes two wines—Unico and the multi-vintage Reserva Especial. Typically the wines are not released until they are ten years old, becoming increasingly difficult to find with each passing year.

The Unico bottles famously undergo a lengthy aging process, ten years being the typical window. Tempranillo always makes up most of the blend here with Cabernet Sauvignon making up the rest.