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THE PHILOSOPHY
 

The Álvarez, with David Álvarez and his children Pablo, Jesús David, María José, Emilio, Juan Carlos, Elvira and Marta, make up a family of big business people who bought Vega Sicilia as an investment. What needed doing was to update technical standards, renew the casks, renovate both the inside and the outside of the winery, expand the vineyard and control the plots of old vines, and introduce suitable ageing times without losing the character of the wines. All of this was done by the Álvarez to avoid being left behind by the sea-change and modernisation of Spanish wines in the eighties.

But the company´s investement has also searched for new enterprises. In the beginning of the 90´s Vega Sicilia bought a second bodega in Ribera del Duero, Alión. The wine elaborated here follows the modern Ribera del Duero style. It´s a 100% Tinto Fino, instead of a blend of Tinto Fino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec.

More recently, the family has bought 70 hectares in Toro where plans to build a new bodega and expects to make its first wine out of 2000 or 2001 vintages. And there´s also the Oremus Tokaji in Hungary. All these wineries have their own brands and Vega Sicilia never appears on the label. But, nevertheless, they aim quality as fiercely as Vega Sicilia.