Campo Viejo: history, overview, types, how and with what to drink, interesting facts

Campo Viejo - Spanish wine with a wide range, although it includes only white and red wines. The quality is always high, not falling below a certain level. Prices are medium to high.

Since 2005, the brand and vineyards have been owned by the French alcohol distributor Pernod-Ricard. It is produced in the Rioja region, one of the central points of the Spanish wine industry. Campo Viejo can be found on the wine list of every establishment in the capital city of Logroño. This is the capital of Rioja.

The drink is also popular far beyond its homeland and is sold in more than 70 countries. It has received awards from the International Wine Competition in Berlin and New York. The company received the status of winery of the year in 2017.

The history of Campo Viejo wine

Campo Viejo was founded in 1959 by winemakers Beristain and Ortiguela, who lived in Spain. The second spent his childhood years in the village of El Villar de Arnedo. It has been called Campo Viejo, or the Old Site, since time immemorial. Hence the name of the alcohol. The company was the first to start bottling Rioja to distinguish it from other Spanish wines.

At first, the farm was small, but time passed and production expanded. Demand created supply, and in 1969 they began to build a new large factory, while developing the distribution of products. Already in the 1970s, it appeared on the shelves of the vast majority of stores in Spain and on the backs of wine lists in restaurants.

In 1973, the company changed the design of the packaging. Now the bottles are placed horizontally instead of vertically. This solution allows the wine to come into direct contact with the cork, as there is no air space between them.

Wine retains its properties longer because the risk of oxidation is reduced in advance. By the mid-1970s, the company entered the global market, and by the end of the decade, it was winning awards in competitive programs.

In the 1990s and 2000s, the company began to work hard to improve the drink and use environmentally friendly technologies in production. As an example, to consume water resources rationally.

Campo Viejo was among the first to receive the ISO 9000 quality certificate in 1995. Already in 2003, a brand new factory was opened, the equipment of which met the strictest environmental requirements. In 2012, the company was awarded the Carbon Neutral Certificate. It became the first holder of the certificate.

The wine matures in barrels made of combined oak. Breeds from France and America are used. Thus, the drink acquires a complex flavor of vanilla, coconut, spicy and woody notes.

Although the company's equipment has been modernized, the manufacturing technologies remain traditional. The event is extremely responsible and painstaking, but the result is worth it: Campo Viejo acquires a balanced taste that is unlike anything else.

The farm is located 20 minutes from the capital of Rioja - Logroño. Its vineyards cover a large area of three sub-regions: Rioja Alavesa, Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja. The process of berry ripening is closely monitored according to a pre-designed guide for each vineyard. It describes in detail how to care for the varieties Tempranillo (75% of the total volume of fruits), Viura, Parellada, Masuelo, or Cariñera, Macabeo, Garnacha, or Garnacha, and others...

Types of Campo Viejo

1. Tempranillo, 13.5%

   Ruby color with aromas of red fruits, vanilla, sweet spice and oak notes.

   The taste is rich, the tannins are not sharp. The finish is long-lasting, with hints of red fruits and cocoa, vanilla notes.

2. Reserva, 13.5%

   Wine is the color of a ripe pomegranate. It has a harmonious spicy taste of red fruits with tobacco and oak tones. The tannins are light, the wine is medium-bodied in weight.

   The aroma is bright with cherry, blackberry and prune notes. Tones of black pepper, cloves and vanilla are present. The aftertaste is long.

3. Gran Reserva, 13.5%

   Ruby color with golden tints. By weight, the wine is full-bodied with a velvety texture, soft tannins and medium acidity.

   The aroma reveals blueberries, blackberries and plums with woody and smoky notes. The aroma is set off by spicy and tobacco nuances, partly by minerality.

   The aftertaste is long with chocolate, coffee and tobacco flavors. You can taste dark fruits.

4. Winemaker’s Art, 13.5% alcohol

   Ruby-colored wine, shimmering with gold. Clearly structured, has a multifaceted taste of wild berries and a characteristic acidity.

   Aroma of fruit and berry with spicy and vanilla notes.

5. Brut Reserva, 11.5%

   The wine has a bright straw color with golden tints. The taste is fresh, it harmoniously combines fruit flavors. Light in weight.

   The aroma is delicate with notes of freshly baked bread crust and white fruits. The aftertaste is long-lasting.

How and what to drink with Campo Viejo

Red wine should be served at a temperature of 16-18 °C in a tulip glass.

Tempranillo food pairings include poultry, pasta, fresh cheeses, all kinds of light snacks and grilled vegetables. Other types of red meat, fried and stewed, game, aged cheeses and blue cheese will be combined with other types.

Serving temperature for white wine is 6-8 °C, a tulip glass is also suitable. Glasses with this wine are usually held by the stem.

Brut Reserva should be served with fish, meat appetizers, light salads and cheeses.

Interesting facts

1. The winery has the largest sales volume among producers from Rioja in the world.

2. Some of the vines on the farm are 90 years old.

3. Bottles are corked only with natural cork to allow the drink to breathe.

4. The tree has been growing for 200 years, the Spaniards are very proud of it.

5. Tempranillo sometimes mutates from red to white. This property was discovered in the 2000s.

6. One employee works in one shift at the wine warehouse.

Update: 28.03.2020

Category: Wine and Vermouth