The town of Quel sits in the Cidacos river valley, between the Sierra Yerga and Sierra la Hez mountain ranges, at the heart of Rioja Oriental. Here in the Barrio de Bodegas, wineries have existed since the 18th century, with ancient winemaking caves at the base of the sheer sandstone cliffs, where grapes were gravity-fed from the vineyards above. Quel has been the home of the Pérez Cuevas family (who established and own Bodegas Ontañón) for generations, and the new Queirón winery is the fulfilment of Gabriel's dream. It has been built around an existing cave, and the 4-level design replicates (in a very modern way) the traditional gravity-flow system that allows a gentle approach to the handling of the grapes at each step. Established at the start of the new Rioja classification system allowing wines to be labelled according to their origin, their portfolio highlights the winery's heritage, and family's long relationship, with the town of Quel.

The Tempranillo Blanco grapes are sourced from the Finca El Aniceto, at La Encina. This vineyard sits on a plateau at 640 metres altitude, on the slopes of the Pico Gatún, in the Sierra de Yerga zone of Quel. This site is perfect for a very slow, gradual ripening of the grapes. The vines grow alongside aromatic herbs, olive, almond and fruit trees. The soil is very poor - a combination of clay, sand and loam. The grapes are harvested in the early morning and protected with dry ice.

Fermentation occurs using indigenous yeasts from the vineyard - it takes place for one week at 14 °C including the skins, then for a further week at 16°C without the skins and with just the free-run must. The end of the fermentation process (3rd and 4th weeks) takes place in 500 litre French oak barrels. After fermentation 85% of the wine stays in barrel for six months ageing on fine lees with some stirring, and the remaining 15% is aged in amphorae for six months (with lees in suspension). The wine remains in bottle for six months before release.

Cod Croquetas