My Ever Favorite Wines

I had the chance to taste what are, for me, the best wines in the world. Of course, it's better not to look at the prices but just close your eyes and taste... but if I can recommend a fabulous and affordable wine, run and buy a bottle of Protos Crianza, you won't regret it.

Alion: Alión, whose name refers to the region of León where the patriarch of the Álvarez family was born, is located just 15 kilometers from the headquarters and in a very similar place, between the Duero river and the Valladolid motorway in Soria , near The wine capital of La Ribera, Peñafiel. Even though the first vintages of this wine were made in the facilities of Vega Sicilia, a new philosophy was applied to a wine that could not only be the "junior partner" of the legendary great wine, but which had to be able to stand in its own and highlight the virtues of the terroirs, the climate and the typical varieties of the Ribera del Duero.

Pingus: Dominio de Pingus is a Spanish winery located in Quintanilla de Onésimo in the province of Valladolid with vineyards in the La Horra region of the Ribera del Duero region. The estate's flagship wine, Pingus, is considered a "cult wine", sold at extremely high prices. The winery also produces a second wine, Flor de Pingus, and a special cuvée, Ribera del Duero "Amelia". Recently Dominio de Pingus founded a joint project with local grape growers to make a more affordable and older vine tempranillo called "PSI".

Protos: A legend born in 1929, the pillars on which Protos was built must lead the way. Quality as a top priority and their brand as a sustainable competitive advantage. Proof of this importance comes from their first vintages (1927 & 1928), which won gold medals at the Universal Exhibition in Barcelona in 1929. In 1986, a cellar was built in Anguix (Burgos), surrounded by old high quality vineyards. Therefore, allowing for a shorter travel time between the vineyard and this winery. In 2008, Protos, true to its roots and in step with an ever-changing industry, built a new state-of-the-art winery in Peñafiel. This magnificent installation was designed by the prestigious architectural firm Rogers Stirk Harbor + Partners (led by genius architect, Richard Rogers, Priztker Prize in Architecture, 2007) in collaboration with Alonso Balaguer y Arquitectos Asociados. Blending the know-how of their long history with new technologies that help them continue to produce better and more sustainable wines.

Vega Sicilia: Bodegas Vega Sicilia is a spanish winery located in the heart of the Ribera del Duero appellation in northern Spain. In 1848 a Basque landowner, Don Toribio Lecanda, after meeting the Marquis of Valbuena, who was bankrupt, bought one of his estates from him. Located in the western part of the Ribera del Duero wine region, the Pago de la Vega Santa Cecilia y Carrascal covered 2,000 hectares. Subsequently this name was shortened to Vega Sicilia. The Vega Sicilia company was created in 1864. The first grape varieties planted were Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Tinto Fino. The Álvarez family bought Vega Sicilia in 1982 from the Venezuelan businessman Hans Neumann who had acquired the estate in the 1960s. In the same year (1982), Ribera del Duero obtained the controlled designation of origin (Denominación de Origen). In comparing the wines of Spain to the First Growth wines of Bordeaux, wine expert Hugh Johnson, after comparing Rioja producers Marqués de Riscal and Marqués de Murrieta to Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild, respectively, stated: "Vega Sicilia is the Latour; but Latour of a vintage that has raisined the grapes and fried the picking crews."—a reference to the significantly warmer climate and different growing conditions of the Ribera del Duero.