I often say that you can take an adventure to some part of the world with each and every glass of wine. Spanish grain merchant turned vintner, Ramon Bilbao agreed with me. With a spirit for adventure, Bodegas Ramon Bilbao’s founder, Ramon Bilbao, was a dreamer, believing with courage, imagination, dedication, and a sense of adventure you could transport yourself. In 1924 after purchasing plots of land near the village of Haro in Rioja Alta and planting vineyards, he opened his Bodega achieving early success. Sadly, less than five years later he passed away leaving his dream and business to his young son.

Today, almost one hundred years later his dream continues to be a reality with the Bodega crafting expressive wines that represent the land, integrating tradition with modernity. With almost one hundred years of history crafting expressive wines that represent the land, Spain’s Bodegas Ramon Bilbao shines as a leading example of how to integrate tradition with modernity.

From fruit grown exclusively within the cool, maritime influenced, Basque province of Alava within the autonomous DOCa. region of Rioja Bodegas Ramon Bilboa Limited Edition Rioja ($35) is a fresh, lively, fragrant expression of Rioja. Crafted from 100% Tempranillo and aged over 14 months in a combination of new French and American oak barrels before resting for another 10 more months in the bottle, the full-bodied, powerful wine is dense, textured, and opulent. Black fruits meld with toasted baking spice, a nod to the oak aging, with dark chocolate and black licorice. This is a big wine, one to enjoy with food like roasted lamb or braised beef, after allowing the wine to breathe a bit to allow some of the reductive elements to dissipate. A fine expression of modern Rioja, showing the quality and affordability found in the character-filled wines of Spain.