Visit Heraclio Alfaro winery
Experience the magical wine tourism EXPERIENCES TERRAS GAUDA, IRREPETIBLES
PRESENTATION OF THE WINERY
The vineyard and winery are located on the historic Finca de El Estarijo in the municipality of Alfaro, known in the region for being the site of a historic aerodrome for Spanish aviation. The aerodrome was inaugurated in 1919 and was the field of activity for many pioneers in aviation. The runway was located where the vineyard is today, while the current winery buildings once functioned as hangars, which can still be inferred by observing their structure.
In the 1970s, the Torres Librada family planted the vineyard, beginning to produce wines within the DOCa Rioja under the Torrescudo brand. In the 2000s, the estate and winery were acquired by the Beltrán family, who made significant investments to modernize the facilities, optimize the vineyard, and launch a new wine line under the Egomei brand.
Terras Gauda has always viewed expansion into the DOCa Rioja as a key step in its growth, given the region's importance in the Spanish wine industry. After an extensive search, the Terras Gauda Group selected the winery that best aligned with its philosophy, with the primary goal of producing unique wines with strong character and a deep connection to the land.
In February 2018, the Terras Gauda Group completed its acquisition of the Alfaro estate, culminating in the release of their first wine, **Heraclio Alfaro Crianza 2015**, in November of the same year.
Heraclio Alfaro
The name chosen for both the winery and the first wine pays tribute to Heraclio Alfaro Fournier, a pioneer of Spanish aviation.
Heraclio Alfaro broke boundaries both as a pilot and in the design of airplanes and engines. In 1914, he became one of the youngest pilots in the world to earn an official title and was responsible for creating and flying the first completely Spanish-made airplane, the Alfaro I. He carried out much of his professional activity in the United States, winning several aeronautical competitions, designing airplanes, and teaching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston.
The Winery
Built on the former aviation hangars, the winery covers 2,500 square meters.
The winery is divided into five sections: winemaking, reception, bottle storage, aging, and bottling.
The winery is equipped with sophisticated technology, including fantastic tools that contribute qualitatively to the production of unique wines. These include a grape washer, gravity-fed harvest system, viniclean, fermentation tanks with a 1:1 height-to-width ratio, pump with synoptic display for each tank, and a barrel room with underfloor heating.
Location
Compañía de Vinos Heraclio Alfaro is located just a few kilometers from the town of Alfaro, in Rioja Oriental, the most Mediterranean area of the Autonomous Community.
On the road from Alfaro to Corella, the 110-hectare estate, known by the same name, is located along the banks of the Estarijo River, where the vineyard and winery are situated.
The Vineyard
The Finca El Estarijo covers more than 100 hectares of land, with about 30 hectares currently planted with vineyards. The vineyard is home to three of the main red grape varieties in Rioja: Tempranillo, Graciano, and Mazuelo. Twelve hectares are planted with Arbequina olive trees, and the remaining land is used for fruit trees.
The vines were planted in the 1970s. The soils are clay-rich, with abundant round stones, deep and moderately fertile, promoting controlled vine vigor and proper ripening. The producing vineyard is planted mainly with Tempranillo and Graciano, with a smaller proportion of Mazuelo. The average annual rainfall of the estate is 350 mm, and the average temperature ranges from 13 to 14ºC.
