In 1899, a winegrowing adventure in the town of Arnedo (La Rioja) began. Olegario Rivero, first generation of the family, founded a small winery in the center of town named ‘Rivero Winery.’ There he produced and sold wines primarily to the people of the town, first in pellejos (traditional wineskins made from goat hide) and later in botas (leather flasks).

In the 40s, the second generation, Agapito Rivero, continues the family tradition of past years. During this time, he operates as a storekeeper of wine jugs produced by other wineries.

During the 50s, the third generation, Amador and Faustino Rivero, slowly renews, bit by bit, their knowledge of the winemaking tradition that originally characterized the winery, and they leave behind their intermediary role. They begin cultivating vines and perfecting the winemaking techniques reflected in the first bottled wines sold under the Chitón brand born in 1965. From the fruits of their labor comes the Faustino Rivero Ulecia Designation of Origin Rioja Qualified wines, designed to represent the classic and fundamental essence of Rioja, wines with balance, complexity and harmony.

In the 80s, Jesús Rivero, fourth generation of the family and current director of the group, took the reins of the business and moved the original winery in the center of Arnedo to the outskirts of town, building a cellar on the grounds with the capacity to store more than 4,000 barrels. This milestone highlighted the winemaking tradition in an area where the footwear industry had quickly dominated the region as an economic power.

Long before the city had known shoemaking, Arnedo was celebrated for its the agricultural products for centuries, with a special emphasis on wine.

“Bathe these Plains of the Cidacos River, with the inequalities of Torrents leaving great mountains and hills; and though it may flow abundantly to the Irrigation, other times it floods snatching the harvest (…) On both Banks there are fields of abundant vineyards, whose fruit bring good taste and much prosperity.”

Franciscan Friars Domingo Hernández de la Torre and José Sáenz de Arquíñigo, 1722

This decade marks the first exports of the group’s wines. Denmark and Germany receive the first bottles of Faustino Rivero Ulecia.

During the 90s, the family’s ambition and clients’ interest leads to the exploration of qualities offered by other lands, and they begin producing wines in new regions.

In the neighboring town of Corella, and under the Faustino Rivero Ulecia seal, the production of D.O. Navarra begins to respond to the demand of international clients.

Subsequently, the search for new territories and wine varieties takes us, in the same way as before, to regions with wide possibilities such as Utiel-Requena or La Mancha.

With the turn of the century, during the 2000s, Jesús Rivero’s dream becomes a reality with the launch of a project that pursues producing wines of excellent quality that, in addition, have all the personality that comes with one of best areas of Rioja and the family’s experience of more than 100 years in the world of wine.

The Marqués del Atrio Winery is born from this belief in a unique environment between vineyards and mountains, where their signature range of wines with the same name is developed.

On these grounds, old family tradition is integrated with the most advanced R&D. The fifth generation is responsible for the construction of the Mendavia Winery, built by Jorge and Manuel Rivero. This young generation, ambitious and full of ideas, becomes a fundamental pillar of the business, perfectly complementing the work of their father Jesús Rivero.

Driven by the new generation, the group decides to embark on the Rías Baixas region to create a special wine, with a personality capable of amazing, where Faustino Rivero Ulecia signs a sophisticated Albariño reflecting the innovative and ambitious spirit of the family.

Currently, due to the group’s international commitment, their brands are available in more than 50 countries spanning five continents, while not forgetting its distribution in Spain where sales have increased year after year.

Important milestones marking the group’s international commitment include the signing of a strategic agreement with the Chinese giant, Changyu Pioneer Wine, for the export of their wines and the recent opening of a commercial office in Miami, to serve the entire American continent.