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Viña Ijalba highlights organic focus with image refresh

Published:  20 March, 2018

Pioneering Rioja winery has unveiled a new look for its range aimed at reflecting its sustainable vineyard practices and it’s work to recover minority native grape varieties.

Founded in 1975, Viña Ijalba has since established a reputation for going against the grain with single varietal launches such as the region’s first 100% Graciano, back in 1995.

Around the same time, work was carried out to convert the 90 hectares of estate-owned vineyards to organic viticulture, with the 1998 vintage becoming the first wine made under the La Rioja Organic Agriculture Control Body.

In 2018, the image overhaul has been dubbed an effort to reflect the ‘maturity’ of the fully organic winery and innovation that is part of its business DNA.

For the company’s aged wines, the bottles have incorporated a “more serene, classic design”, while a new range of single varietal Tempranillo Blanco, Maturana Blanca, Maturana Tinta and Graciano wines has adopted a “natural, floral look” according to Cristina Gutiérrez, third generation family-member at the helm of Viña Ijalba.

This new range is due to be launched in April.

Setting out to break the moulds of ‘traditional’ Rioja, Viña Ijalba was one of the first Rioja wineries to market varietal wines following a major research project in the 1990s.

The project, a collaboration between La Rioja University, the DOCa Rioja Control Board and La Rioja Agricultural R&D Centre led to the eventual release of Viña Ijalba’s Maturana Blanca in 2001, its Maturana Tinta in 2002 and Tempranillo Blanco, from a natural genetic mutation of red Tempranillo, in 2006.