Bodegas Mauro

Bodegas Mauro is the first family-run winery under Mariano García to lie in Castile-Leon (San Román Bodegas y Viñedos falls within the Toro denomination) and is named in honour of his father, Mauro García.

Founded in 1980, two years before the Ribera del Duero D.O. was established, Bodegas Mauro was excluded from the Denomination of Origin for strictly adhered to reasons of geographical delineation at the time it was set up, when historical arguments for the inclusion of the Tudela de Duero vineyards were considered insufficient.

These vineyards date back to the time of the Austrian Habsburgs (1562, Felipe II) and were exempt from the payment of tribute due to their excellent quality. Furthermore, Mauro has always maintained strict standards of quality and, free from the rigid control of the D.O., it has known how to benefit from the situation by producing wines with great potential.

They own 35 ha of vineyards distributed between the municipalities of Tudela de Duero and Santibáñez de Valcorba. Tudela is located on the banks of the River Duero, at an altitude of 760 metres above sea level, on land dating back to the Tertiary and Quaternary Periods. Subject to an extreme continental climate, winters are very cold, summers are very warm and dry, and the average annual rainfall is 450 mm. Santibáñez de Valcorba borders to the north on Sardón de Duero and Quintanilla de Onésimo. It is situated on level terrain from the Late Miocene Epoch, composed of limestone to a depth of 30 metres, with alluvial deposits of silt, marl and clay, and small pebbles. Winters are long and very cold, with minimum temperatures falling below 0ºC during the months of November and December. Summers are short and mild, with significant diurnal oscillations of 15-18ºC, which heightens the aromatic intensity of the grapes. Vine plantations stand at 85% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha and 5% Syrah, averaging 22 years old. The planting density varies between 2,500 and 3,500 vines per hectare according to the vineyard, with yields ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 kg/ha. Exhaustive checks are carried out on the yield of the vine-stock and the grapes undergo a rigorous selection process.

The grape harvest is carried out using 20 kg boxes. The winery is located in a large, old, 17th Century house in Tudela de Duero, where wine used to be made in olden times. It is has since been renovated and is equipped with state-of-the-art technology used in wine production. Total capacity stands at 215,000 litres. The tanks are made of stainless steel, truncated cone-shaped, holding 12,000 L. The grapes are selected once inside the winery, and gravity is used during vinification to avoid using pumps. Fermentation is carried out independently for each vineyard and grape variety and maceration with skins varies between 4 days and three weeks depending on the harvest. Maturation takes place in 1,100 French (Allier and Nevers) and American oak barrels with different toasts, and 20% of the cellar stock is renewed each year. 65% of production is destined for the home market and the rest is sent out to 28 countries.