Winery
Wine making tradition since the 18th century.
History
Our great-grandfather Tomas de Ayala (1853), Cornelio’s grandson, acquired a large house built in ashlar stone with a courtyard, a barn and a winery equiped with a press and wooden barrels where he started the winemaking process from the grapes of his vineyards.
In 1970, Tomás grandson, Ramón de Ayala, together with his wife Flora Orive (also raised in a family in the winemaking business), decided to convert the stone house in a rustic and nice restaurant where they started selling their wine, which was kept in the caves (centenary cellars carved in stone) placed right under the Bodegón Ayala restaurant.
At this time, the family sold its wines under the brand Viña Santurnia, being one of the first winemakers in obtaning the Denomination of Origin Rioja.
Present times
In 1985, the structure of the ancient winery was broadened with concrete deposits and vats, which are carved in the natural stone of the region, reaching a capacity of 50,000 liters. The new winery was equiped with 440 square meters of underground facilities where the winemaking process takes place using stainless steel deposits.
The wine ageing takes place in 500 oak barrels, as well as in a wide bottle rack with a capacity of more tan 150,000 bottles.