The name is a bit of a mouthful - the Spanish initials CVNE stand for `Vinicultural Company of the North of Spain`. CVNE was founded in 1879 at the peak of the Rioja boom; the joint founders were two brothers from Bilbao, whose descendants still manage the company today. It began as a purely negociant company, buying and selling grapes and finished wine, but soon moved on to planting vineyards of its own. These days, CVNE is comprised of no less than eight wineries across Northern Spain. In Rioja, there is Cune, Imperial, Vina Real and Contino, in Cava there is Roger Goulart, in Ribera del Duero they have Bela, in Valdeorras they have Virgen del Galir and in Rias Baixas, they have La Val.

The jewel in the CVNE crown, though, is the Rioja property Imperial. It is widely regarded as among Spain’s finest wines, and is only made in excellent vintages. It was the only red wine to be served at the wedding of King Felipe VI in 2004, and in 2013 Wine Spectator named it the world’s best wine. Imperial arrived in the 1920s, and took its name from the Imperial pint format in which it was originally sold to the English market. It is made from mainly Tempranillo grapes, with some Graciano and Mazuelo, all from old, dry-farmed bush vines in Rioja Alta. It is fermented in old French oak vats, goes through malo in concrete tanks, then is raised in a mix of French (80%) and American (20%) oak barrels. Finally, it reposes in bottle for some years in the Eiffel cellar, purpose-designed by Gustave, he of the tower. Rioja has always had a bit of a thing for celebrity architects. (NT 21/10/25)