The small boutique winery Sierra de Tolono is a fine example of how women have long since broken into the supposedly male domain of wine and know how to shine with magnificent wines. The winery was founded in 2012 by the young oenologist Sandra Bravo in the Sierra de Tolono in the Rioja Alavesa sub-region, and it was this part of the region that gave the winery its name. However, Sandra Bravo has prepared herself conscientiously for her passion project. After studying oenology, she spent a lot of time at wineries abroad, for example in Tuscany, France and New Zealand. She spent seven years working in the Priorat alone, which, in her own words, showed her how great wines are created through craftsmanship and what an immensely important role the vineyard and terroir play in this. She then fell in love with the Sierra de Tolono and her dream of owning her own winery took shape. Many of her parcels of the 9 hectares she cultivates are located at around 700 meters above sea level, exposed to the cool north wind that prevails here and gives her wines a lot of freshness. Some parcels are also located lower down near the Ebro river, and these wines are somewhat richer. This certain ageing potential can be exploited. Their white wines are either made from Viura alone or bottled as a blend with Malvasia and Rojal Blanco. The red wines, on the other hand, are almost all made from 100% Tempranillo or Garnacha. Sandra Bravo leaves her wines alone in the cellar, only intervening in the winemaking process when it seems absolutely essential. However, one characteristic feature unites all her wines. It is this exciting freshness and minerality that makes them so unique. The wood never dominates here, but rather the expression of the grape variety and the terroir. Critics are enthusiastic about these wines, but given the rather minimalist size of the winery, they are only brought to market in tiny quantities.
