Celebrate Christmas with wines from Familia Martínez Bujanda

Wine is a very common and much repeated gift at Christmas. We are going to take the liberty of proposing a few alternatives using wines from Familia Martínez Bujanda, which might be of use when fulfilling a commitment, enjoying time with your loved ones or even to surprise a relative or friend.

1. Guaranteed value: Rioja is a guaranteed value and giving someone a good wine is always a success. Our Finca Valpiedra Reserva, which was recently awarded 93 points by the Peñín Guide, is one of those wines that does not disappoint and that continues to improve over time. Finca Valpiedra is a special Reserva; the family’s most carefully produced wine which is defined by the microclimate and pebbly soil of our estate. The other alternative is Viña Bujanda Reserva (90 Peñín points) which is a slightly more traditional concept of a good Reserva from Rioja. If we want to go a little further with this classic concept, we also have the option of the Viña Bujanda Gran Reserva.

2. The surprise: if we want to surprise people, Finca Antigua wines are another good option. Clavis, which also has 93 points in the 2017 edition of the Peñín Guide, is a wine with its own identity and personality. It is a vineyard designated wine, made from grapes from the Pico Garbanzo plot, grown at maximum altitude in an atypical clay soil compared to the rest of the estate and produced using an unusual blend of varieties (Garnacha, Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Mazuelo and others) which makes it unique. At Finca Antigua we also produce a collection of varietal Crianzas which could turn a Christmas dinner into a fun mixture of sensations: Finca Antigua Tempranillo Crianza, Cabernet Sauvignon Crianza, Merlot Crianza, Petit Verdot Crianza, Garnacha Crianza and Syrah Crianza. Combine them as you wish.

3. The white wines: they also have their place at Christmas. We make white wines in Rioja (Viña Bujanda) and La Mancha (Finca Antigua) regions using the Viura variety, but in this case our most obvious option is Finca Montepedroso (Rueda). This is a wine that recaptures the original character of the Verdejo grape, that we work on intensively using its fine lees and tank age it for months in order to obtain the characteristic volume in the mouth so that it exceeds the traditional pairing of white wine with lean fish. Almost all starters, including white meats, go with this wine. Continuing with white wines, we are guaranteed to surprise people with our Muscatel, Finca Antigua Naturalmente Dulce, a wine without added sugars, made using grapes which are dried in the sun as soon as they are harvested and which, chilled and served with dessert, immediately reminds us of a bunch of muscatel grapes.

4. A gift for the entire year: the Barrel Clubs at Finca Valpiedra and Finca Antigua make it possible to give someone a barrel (300 bottles), half a barrel (150 bottles) or even a quarter of a barrel (72 bottles) of two unique Reservas; each vintage being personally selected by our technical director Lauren Rosillo. Of course, belonging to the Familia Martínez Bujanda barrel club also has significant benefits.

5. Excellent wines at the best price: finally, for those with slightly tighter budgets, Familia Martínez Bujanda works with the Infinitus range of Cosecheros y Criadores. Infinitus Tempranillo and Infinitus Syrah have just received 90 points in assessments by the 2017 Peñín Guide, which is likely to make them the best value wines in Spain.