Bodegas MItarte

Bodegas Mitarte (mit-ART-eh) is a family winery in Labastida (Rioja Alavesa) run by brothers Ignacio and Antonio Gil. They own 43 separate vineyard plots, most of which are situated in their town. Each vineyard is of a different age, elevation and exposition, and the wines show very different personalities. Yet, because of the restrictive nature of regulations in Rioja, the brothers were not allowed to tell the full story of their vineyards.

For many years, wines in Rioja were labelled Joven, Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva, based on the amount of time each had spent in barrel, without any indication of where in the vast region the grapes were sourced. However, reacting to near-revolution by innovative wineries, regulations in Rioja were changed in 2017 to allow for more flexibility and transparency. Wines can now be labelled with the name of a zone (eg. Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa or Rioja Baja), the name of the village and/or the name of a vineyard. Mitarte began doing this as soon as it was allowed.

Single vineyard (Viñedo Singular) labellings are the most strict. The producer must have owned the vineyard for a minimum of 10 years, the vineyard must be a minimum of 35 years old, and yields must be 20% lower than the regional maximum. The vineyard must be hand harvested and treated in a sustainable way, with some restrictions on pruning during the growing season. Checks on traceability are carried out and the wine must be authorized by a tasting panel.