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Muga Winery Guide

Cellar Tours Insight — Since 2003, Cellar Tours has planned private wine journeys through the world’s leading wine regions, pairing tailor-made itineraries with VIP winery visits, fine dining, and expert regional guidance.

Winery Overview

Muga stands proudly in the famous Haro Railway Station District, surrounded by some of the oldest wineries in Rioja. Despite being less than 100 years old, its brand’s strength and market positioning, with a presence in over 70 countries, place it among the appellation’s elite.

Encompassing a sprawling expanse of 300 hectares, Muga vineyards supply 70 to 85% of its requirements based on the unique characteristics of each vintage. As a result, the winery consistently produces approximately 1.5 million bottles of exceptionally high-quality wines each year.

The inception of Muga can be traced back to the marriage of Issac Muga and Aurora Cano, uniting two traditional winemaking families hailing from Rioja. In 1932, the couple established their winery within the subterranean cellars adorning Haro’s main street. In 1970, the family relocated to their current premises in the Barrio Estacion. Today, the business remains under the ownership and operation of the founders’ grandchildren, preserving the essence of their familial legacy.

Muga’s winemaking prowess extends to four distinct vineyards: El Estepal, La Loma, Baltracones, and La Loma Alta. Situated on the slopes of the Obarenes Mountains, these high-altitude vineyards represent the outer reaches of the fertile growing region. Cultivating such extreme terrain is a rarity, yet Muga’s specialized cultivation methods unlock the full potential of each unique terroir. The resulting wines boast exceptional acidity and an inherent ability to mature gracefully over time.

Despite sharing a clay-based soil composition, each vineyard plot retains distinctive characteristics, fostering a delightful array of wine styles. This inherent diversity highlights the dynamic nature of Muga’s winemaking philosophy, rooted in an unwavering commitment to unearthing the full expression of its terroirs.

All aging is done in new oak vats; their aging techniques make Muga unique. With these techniques, each wine gives off a taste, smell, and appearance of wine at a higher level; for example, Crianzas taste like Reservas, and Reservas like Gran Reservas. Muga even has its own cooperage, buying French and American oak and crafting the wine barrels themselves.

Prado Enea is Muga’s flagship red wine made primarily from Tempranillo grape and about 20% of either Garnacha, Graciano, or Mazuelo grapes. The wine undergoes extensive aging in oak barrels and bottles, resulting in exceptional depth, refined tannins, and a harmonious balance. Prado Enea is known for its elegance, nuanced flavors of red and black fruits, spices, and earthy notes. It has significant aging potential and showcases Muga’s commitment to producing high-quality wines that reflect the unique characteristics of the Rioja terroir.

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Further Reading

Author

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James Lawrence

With a passion for food & drink that verges on the obsessive, wine writer James Lawrence has traveled the world in search of the perfect tipple. To date, nothing has surpassed the 1952 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Rioja Reserva, tasted in the cobweb-filled cellars with owner María José. Meanwhile, James has been writing for a wide variety of publications for over 12 years, including Telegraph, Decanter, Harpers, The Drinks Business, and Wine Business International. He lives in South Wales and returns to his former university city, Bilbao, as much as possible.

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