February 8th, 2024

Say hello to Martínez Lacuesta

Nestled in the heart of La Rioja, Martinez Lacuesta boasts a history dating back to 1895. Since then, this family-owned winery has been crafting wines that embody the essence of Rioja Alta. With a commitment to quality and time-honoured traditions such as manual racking Martinez Lacuesta has earned its place among Spain’s most revered winemakers. 

Campeador (which if you pop by our shops you can have a taster of) was the first Martínez Lacuesta wine with a distinctive name that differed from that of the family. Initially it came from a méthode champenoise wine from 1917, although four years later Martínez Lacuesta began to sell wines that were showing a markedly different character, exclusive to Haro and the surrounding area, under the Campeador brand name. Moving away from the French influence, there began a search to define a singularly Rioja identity. Subsequently from this bottling, wines of the region started to be marketed as their own distinct thing! 

The winery’s founders always had improving traditional techniques some of which had been inherited from France which meant adapting them to the nature of La Rioja vines. The winery’s processes were altered to capture the essence of the local grape varietals, bodegas Martinez Lacuesta experimented with the use of egg whites to clarify the wine, which ate time was a new technique (today that has been replaced by plant based clarification agents). The most significant development was there gravity decanting by hand system that is still in use to this day! 

The present day, sees no change, still stepped in tradition but backed now by fantastic technology and a beautifully designed space, extra high ceilings in the aging rooms to cater for barrels stacked 5 high,  while the most emblematic vintages have to be stored in racks that our worthy of their status. 

The vineyards enjoy a mild climate with excellent sunshine and moderate rainfall. All of this makes our region the perfect spot for the growth and ripening of our grapes. In our hands, these bounties are turned into our wines. The  vineyards are located in Haro and its surroundings, on the right bank of the Ebro river. This is an area that is barely protected by the Toloño and Cantabria mountain ranges, where the cold north winds frequently blow, they typify the slow growing cycle and freshness of the wines. 

Try the range of Martinez Lacuesta wines available at our shops, delis and restaurant! Also available online for delivery all over the UK, just in case you can’t visit our shops in person. 

Whether you’re a bold red wine enthusiast or prefer the crispness of white Tempranillo, these guys have got your back!

Oh, did we mention they are pioneers of vermut as well. We will save that for another day!