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The Story

Victor Urrutia - CEO of CVNE dressed in a casual blue jacket leaning against old wooden cart

The C.V.N.E. Company, or to give it its full name, Compañía Vinicola del Norte de España (The Northern Spanish Wine Company) was established on the 24th of March 1879 in Haro, Rioja. Set up by two brothers, Eusebio and Raimundo Real de Asúa, their aim was to capitalise on the flourishing new trade in wine.

C.V.N.E. is based in Haro’s traditional Barrio de la Estación district, in the heart of the Rioja wine region. Historically, some of the oldest wineries of Rioja Alta established themselves here in order to benefit from the ease of transport via rail to the port of Bilbao, the most efficient form of transport in those days.

“My ancestors worried about one thing only: making the best possible wine. I have added another concern to this (very short) list: to make our wines known across the world.”

Victor Urrutia, C.E.O. of C.V.N.E.

By 1900, the winery had an extraordinary ageing capacity of 80,000 bottles, which was most unusual at the time, as most wineries sold their wines as soon as possible.

C.V.N.E. is still controlled by the direct descendants of the founding family, now in its fifth generation. C.V.N.E. has three wineries in Rioja: Cune, Viña Real and Contino.

In June 2017, C.V.N.E. purchased the renowned Catalonia winery Roger Goulart, dating back to 1882, located in the world-famous D.O. Cava region.

The latest addition to their portfolio in 2018 is the Virgen del Galir, winery located in the premium D.O Valdeorras in Galicia.