In 1864, Don Eloy Lecanda Chaves brought vine cuttings from Bordeaux, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot. The cuttings were planted at his Vega Sicilia estate in the region now know as Ribera del Duero. The first vintages of Unico and Valbuena were in 1915, when the wines began to be distributed amongst the aristocracy - not for sale, but for distribution as gifts to close friends. To this day Vega Sicilia still sells 75% of its production by a system of small allocations to individual Spanish families.

Vega Sicilia is unquestionably a unique wine, and one of the great Spanish classics. Its personality not only comes from the maximum quality of the grape and the rigour involved in its manufacture, but also, and above all, from the care for detail that the Álvarez family has succeeded in transmitting to the wines.

The company makes three types of wine: Valbuena 5º, Vega Sicilia Único, and Vega Sicilia Único Reserva Especial. The last two are presented to the general public at least ten years after they have been harvested. The commitment of the winery is such that the vintages that do not offer the quality desired are not bottled.

The wines of Vega Sicilia are complex, intense and long lived. They are to Spain what the Rothschild name is to Bordeaux, and Domaine de la Romanee-Conti is to Burgundy. The name Vega Sicilia is synonymous with class, quality, history and prestige.

Top of page | Back