Marqués de Riscal 1925, the centenary toast wine of Rioja DOCa

At the official ceremony commemorating the centenary of the Rioja DOCa, held at Bodegas de los Herederos del Marqués de Riscal, an extraordinary event took place: the ceremonial opening of 15 bottles of Marqués de Riscal 1925, in tribute to a century of tradition and excellence of the appellation. These bottles had been stored in the winery’s historic Botellería of old vintages—one of the world’s greatest wine treasures.

His Majesty King Felipe VI, who presided over the ceremony, visited this unique space located in the Original Winery of Marqués de Riscal, built in 1860.

The Botellería of Marqués de Riscal holds wines dating back to the winery’s first bottled vintage, 1862—considered the oldest bottled wine in Rioja. It was cellared by Guillermo Hurtado de Amézaga, then Marqués de Riscal, with the vision that future generations would enjoy it. Today, several bottles from that vintage remain untouched in the Botellería, alongside the rest of the historical vintages, bearing silent witness to the passage of time.

Currently, the collection houses more than 130,000 bottles, preserved in optimal conditions—as was evident during the toast at the official event. A toast that allowed those present to travel 100 years back in time.

Marqués de Riscal 1925

Marqués de Riscal 1925 marked the awakening of quality Rioja wines after the phylloxera plague that devastated the vineyards at the end of the 19th century. Following the replanting of vineyards in the early 20th century—this time grafted onto American rootstock—by the start of the 1920s, Rioja once again had vines over 20 years old, capable of producing high-quality wines. The original 19th-century Tempranillo and Graciano varieties, now grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock, began to yield a new style of fine Rioja wines, with a distinctive character that reflected the region’s exceptional terroir.
The extended ageing process of up to four years in Bordeaux barrels ensured the wine’s extraordinary ability to be preserved—remaining alive and vibrant for future generations.

 _{© Consejo Regulador de la DOCa Rioja}

Best Vineyard in the World

The history of Marqués de Riscal is marked by milestones that reflect a bold and innovative spirit since its founding in 1858. A driving force behind the Médoc Alavés movement by introducing the Bordeaux method to Rioja, it became the first non-French wine to win the Diploma of Honour at the Bordeaux Exhibition in 1895. It was also the first winery to introduce Sauvignon Blanc in Rueda and played a key role in the creation of the region’s Denomination of Origin.

In more recent history, Marqués de Riscal launched Barón de Chirel in 1991—a pioneering wine that paved the way for high-expression wines in Rioja—and opened a hotel in 2006 designed by architect Frank O. Gehry in the heart of Rioja Alavesa.
All of these milestones embody the winery’s pioneering and innovative spirit, which in 2024 earned it a new distinction: best vineyard in the world, awarded by the international World’s Best Vineyards competition.