Practically since its foundation, Bodegas Olarra has been recognized as the Great Cathedral of Rioja or the greatest exponent of Wine Architecture. Its impressive construction, the work of Juan Antonio Ridruejo, is one of the first exercises in architecture applied to a winery and one of the first times that a prestigious architect designed a production facility.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF RIOJA WINE
Bodegas Olarra
Practically since its foundation, Bodegas Olarra has been recognized as the Great Cathedral of Rioja or the greatest exponent of Wine Architecture. Its impressive construction, the work of Juan Antonio Ridruejo, is one of the first exercises in architecture applied to a winery and one of the first times that a prestigious architect designed a production facility.
WINES FOR PEOPLE
Wine is for people to enjoy. That is who we are thinking about when we are making it. About who is going to enjoy it and how, what their tastes are. And just as these have changed and evolved with time, so have our wines, but without losing any of the character and philosophy of our roots.
With a history dating back 50 years, Bodegas Olarra base their wines on the ideal selection of the raw material, on the traditional winemaking methods which have been adapted to modern times and on the calm evolution of their wines in accordance with the new tastes of the consumer.
THIRD GENERATION
The third generation of the Bodegas Olarra family is made up of three committed young winemakers whose memories, training and dedication are totally wrapped up in the production of great Rioja wines.
Pedro Limousin Ucín is responsible for the area of sales, Marcial ZapkeUcín performs his duties in the area of administration and Luis LimousinUcín, together with Javier Martínez de Salinas (one of the best winemakers in Spain) makes the perfect tandem in the areas of 21st century viticulture and oenology.
VITICULTURE AND SUSTAINABILITY
The families of growers who supply their grapes to Bodegas Olarra are faithful to the bodega’s ethos, care for the vines because they are their legacy, are not guided purely by economic criteria, love their vines and, above all, are not willing to uproot a single vine.
Bodegas Olarra have grown to the rhythm that their own grower families have marked with the increase in the surface area planted with vines in La Rioja, but the average size of the parcels of land is still less than a hectare.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF WINE
Virtually ever since they were founded, Bodegas Olarra has been known as the Grand Cathedral of Rioja or the best example of the Architecture of Wine. The stunning building, designed by Juan Antonio Ridruejo, is one of the first attempts to apply architecture to a wine cellar and one of the first times that a leading architect designed a winemaking facility.
Ridruejo constructed his own interpretation of a Gothic cathedral with three floors and a central transept perfectly suited for a winemaking centre. All the design was conceived for this purpose, even the 111 domes above the barrel cellar which requires no external system to control the temperature.
OLARRA IDENTITY
Our main obsession is the pursuit of the highest quality in our wines. A set principle that represents our way of thanking nature for everything she gives us, our growers for their dedication and hard work and our team for their commitment to a philosophy that we have all helped to create.
Taking the utmost care of our winemaking heritage, selecting the best vineyards and from them the best clusters of grapes, and from them only the best fruit, each year we set out on the road in search of excellence. The whole winemaking process can be summed up in the maximum respect for the fruit, the terroir that produced it and the people who cared for it throughout the year.
