Marqués de Riscal was founded in 1858 by Camillo Hurtado de Amézega, Marquess of Riscal. He owns vineyards and a bodega on the 'Torrea' estate and has lived in Bordeaux since 1836. He is asked by the directors of the Alava district, because of his expertise, to find a winemaker who should be able to to introduce wine growers in La Rioja to the techniques used in the Médoc. Eventually one Jean Pineau, winemaker at Château Lanessan, is contracted to fulfill this mission.

That same year, the Marquis of Riscal shipped to the Rioja district '9,000 fully guaranteed young vines' of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Pinot Noir varieties. Objective: to experiment with renowned wine varieties, in an area where so far mainly Tempranillo and Graciano dominated.

Today Marqués de Riscal has remained true to the old principles, the heritage of the ancestors. New insights have led to continuous refinement of the process and product quality. The company pays a lot of money and attention to research and development. Among other things, this policy has led to the installation of two manual selection tables, a unique system in Spain, so far actually only used at top-Châteaux in Bordeaux.