Producer Portrait · Spain
Bodegas Protos
Founded in 1927 by eleven winegrowers, the namesake of Ribera del Duero.
Get to know Bodegas Protos
In 1927, eleven winegrowers in Peñafiel joined forces and founded the area's first winery. The name of the brand became a statement of intent: Protos had «Ribera Duero» registered decades before the denomination of origin existed, and released the name in 1982 for its founding. To this day, the house is carried by the winegrowing families, by its own account more than 250, with around 1,400 hectares of vineyard.
Two kilometres of tunnels beneath the castle
Beneath the castle of Peñafiel lies the house's historic cellar: over two kilometres of tunnels, driven into the castle hill and expanded in 1970. There, the wines mature at a naturally constant temperature, as has been the custom in Peñafiel for centuries.
The building by Richard Rogers
In 2008, Protos opened its new building at the foot of the castle, designed by the office of Pritzker Prize winner Richard Rogers together with Alonso Balaguer: five vaulted roofs of timber trusses, 19,450 square metres, space for three million bottles. In 2010, the building was awarded the Civic Trust Award, and today it is among the most visited wineries in Spain.
Ser primero
«Be the first» stands as the maxim on the barrels of the house, and the list to go with it is long: gold medals at the Barcelona World Exhibition in 1929 for the first two vintages, the Premio Alimentos de España 2013, inclusion among the «World's Most Admired Wine Brands» in 2024 and the Alimentos de España 2026 special prize from the Spanish government. The core variety is Tempranillo, known here as Tinta del País, alongside Verdejo from the estate's own winery in Rueda since 2006.
Facts about the estate
- Country & Region
- Spain · Ribera del Duero
- Founded
- 1927 by eleven winegrowers in Peñafiel
- Vineyard area
- Around 1,400 hectares belonging to the winegrowing families
- Cellar
- Over 2 km of tunnels beneath the castle, new building by Richard Rogers in 2008
- Distinctive feature
- Gave the DO Ribera del Duero its name in 1982
Grape varieties
- Tempranillo (Tinta del País)
- Verdejo
«Our responsibility is to open the way and bring Spanish wine to the recognition it deserves.»
Wines from Bodegas Protos
Personally tasted and selected, direct from our warehouse in Ramsei, delivered throughout Switzerland.
Curious about Spain as a wine country?
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