Bodegas Roda

"Every bottle reflects our landscape."

Mario Rotlland and Carmen Daurella

Bodegas Roda was founded by Mario Rotlland and Carmen Daurella in the late 1980s, but has long been one of the undisputed stars of Rioja.

Mario Rotlland and Carmen Daurella came along at the right time. At the end of the 1980s, there was a spirit of optimism in Rioja. For the first time in the country, there was competition from a second region in which Tempranillo was the predominant grape variety. And Ribera del Duero seemed much more modern at the time. Mario Rotlland and Carmen Daurella were winegrowers who wanted to produce contemporary Rioja in the Rioja Alta without disregarding tradition. And with their special style, they have made a significant contribution to changing the appellation to this day.

Even back then, the principle that the wine was created in the vineyard was applied to the plots with great care. The bodega was built in such a way that all the grapes, must and wine travelled naturally by gravity. Today, there are 120 hectares under vines at Roda. However, these were not newly planted, but gradually acquired. They are exclusively old bush vines of Tempranillo, Graciano and Garnacha - the classic varieties of the region. The vineyards lie at an altitude of between 380 and 650 metres.

The entire harvest is done by hand. The grapes are sorted both in the vineyard and again at the winery, where they are destemmed and fermented in large cylindrical French oak fermenters. There, natural yeasts start the fermentation process, whereby each vineyard and each grape variety is fermented individually, sometimes with cold maceration, sometimes without, and later also matured separately. Malolactic fermentation takes place in French barriques, as does ageing in 50% new and 50% perennial barrels. The range now comprises five wines. The wine from younger vines is Sela. This is followed by Roda, Roda I and Cirsion, one of the great Spanish red wines. The portfolio was supplemented in 2019 by the Roda I Blanco, a cuvée of Viura with proportions of Malvasía de Rioja and Garnacha Blanca.