Bodegas Arrayan

Bodegas Arrayán was founded in 1999 by entrepreneur José María Entrecanales and his wife Maria Marsans on their estate La Verdosa, which is located in Santa Cruz de Retamar in the northwest of the province of Toledo. The winery has a total of 33 hectares of vineyards that are located at an altitude between 470 and 980 meters above sea level. All vineyards are completely organically farmed. As a result, no chemical products are used, of course.

Bodegas Arrayán was born from José's dream to have a wine company where innovation should go hand in hand with ecological viticulture, to create a high quality wine with a strong personality. To this end, Bodegas Arrayán has enlisted the help of renowned Australian vinologist Richard Smart. He conducted an extensive study of the terrain, soil and climate in order to select the optimal positions, orientations and varietals in accordance with the winery's objectives. Planting of Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot began in the highest part of the vineyard, in harmony with the holm oak trees scattered throughout the estate.

The first vintage of Bodegas Arrayán went on sale at the end of 2003.

The appointment of Maite Sánchez as oenologist in 2009 marked a new era for the winery both in the process of making the existing wines and in the pursuit of adding native varieties to the range.

Since then, Bodegas Arrayán has been working hard with serious wines at still very acceptable prices. International wine critics such as Parker and Penin are also very enthusiastic about this beautiful winery. In June 2016, the winery was certified as an organic vineyard.

The grapes are mainly harvested by hand, in 20 kg crates, and then transported to the winery, which is located close to the vineyard. The temperature of the grapes is homogenized in a refrigerated trailer before reaching the winery. The bunches are sorted by hand and screened to see if they are healthy. They are then destemmed and transferred to small fermentation tanks made of stainless steel or French oak.

Fermentation is spontaneous with natural yeasts from the grapes. Once the process is complete, the wines are stored in steel or wooden barrels, depending on the wine, where they undergo malolactic fermentation.