Viña Aldaia

Viña Aldaia is the project of sisters Laura and Miren Martinez. They are proudly 100% Rioja Alavesa and while also involved in their family winery, Luberri, they wanted to make other wines, with their own style and their own philosophy. Unsurprisingly these are quality wines, Rioja rooted, but different from their parents. For Viña Aldaia, they choose a very particular plot, high on a hill at 570m of altitude with a North/North-East sea facing. In Basque, Aldaia means summit, the top area of a hill or a mountain. For them altitude and exposure means freshness and elegance. Exactly what they were looking for. The coarse soil is very deep and calcareous and from that privileged, cool, and sunny enclave the vines grow to produce lively and bright examples of high-altitude wines.

While both women take immense pride in being involved in all aspects of this endeavor themselves, Miren claims more charge in the vineyards and Laura, in the cellars. The winemaking is kept simple yet very thoughtful to enhance the potential of the 40yr old vines in this locations soil and altitude.

The Joven is fermented and elevage in only stainless steel while the Crianza sees a unique elevage with 5% in neutral American oak. The larger grain of the wood allows for what Laura feels a greater oxygen interactions softening the wine while the juice maintains its bright acid attributed to the vines ability to grow deep into the terroir and altitude.

The Wines