Luigi's Wine Tasting Event
Marqués de Cáceres History
Marqués de Cáceres, a renowned Rioja wine producer, was founded in 1970 by Enrique Forner. Forner's family had a long history in winemaking, with ties to both Spain and France, and had fled to France in the 1930’s during the Spanish Civil War. In 1952, Enrique Forner established a wine business in France, focusing on the Rhône and Loire Valleys. In 1963, he gave his career a major boost with the acquisition of two châteaux grands crus classés in Haut Médoc, Bordeaux: Château Camensac and Château Larose Trintaudon. He returned to Spain in 1968 and chose to continue his great project in the heart of La Rioja Alta. This is where he founded Marqués de Cáceres in Cenicero, Rioja Alta, bringing his experience and knowledge from France to Rioja.
The winery focused on creating high-quality wines, bringing a modern winemaking approach to Rioja, which, historically, was very traditional in techniques and methods. The winery he established was an alliance between the Forner family, a wine-making family with roots in the region for five generations, and local grape growers. Many of the area’s best vine growers and their vineyards were incorporated into this project, and years later most still remain, meaning that this bodega controls around 1,200 hectares locally, thanks to the strong links forged back then.
The Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa is the location for the vineyards, with a good few in the municipality of Cenicero which is where the winery is situated. The winery name honors Vicente Noguera y Espinosa de los Monteros, 7th Marquess of Cáceres, the main investor in the venture. In 1983, Cristina Forner, Enrique’s daughter, took over operations of the winery and began to expand its international presence. Today, Bodegas Marqués de Cáceres exports more than 50% of its production and has made its mark in more than 130 countries.
Join us Tuesday, June 10th at 6.30pm.
