Each year, a different artist, always one of Spain’s most exciting young talents, is chosen to design the label of this special edition Reserva. The new release’s label draws on the classic design of Campo Viejo – while exploding with all the intensity and vibrancy of their wines and the region of Rioja itself.
This year’s label was designed by Carlota Pereiro, a Galician artist now based in Madrid, who works with a wide array of materials. She has created designs for everything from clothes to wallpaper, and even plates and glassware for companies like AC Hotels by Marriot and the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid.
Campo Viejo
Celebrating Rioja’s vibrant spirit
at Casa Pasión
Togetherness in a bottle
‘Making art and making wine both need time,’ says Pereiro, who stresses that both artists and winemakers must embrace the fact that their creation will change and develop after it has left their hands.
Winemakers and artists: Shared passions
In partnership with CAMPO VIEJO
Discover more: www.campoviejo.com
With all the colour and energy we have come to expect from Rioja’s most famous brand, Campo Viejo has launched its latest Reserva Limited Edition at its annual festival, Casa Pasión.
Tenuta di Arceno's resident winemaker Lawrence Cronin
With 65 years of history behind it, Campo Viejo continues to boldly experiment and develop new wines
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The new release’s label draws on the classic design of Campo Viejo – while exploding with all the intensity and vibrancy of their wines and the region of Rioja itself
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For Cantina di Montalcino, innovation and renewal go
hand-in-hand with continuity and tradition.
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For the 2018 Reserva Limited Edition, Pereiro has created an exuberant and eye-catching label that captures the essence of Campo Viejo: passion. The key inspiration for her design was wine’s power to bring people together. ‘When someone comes to your house, they bring a bottle of wine to share,’ she explains. ‘The label depicts this moment: a table with abstract figures coming together through wine.’ It is a moment of friendship and love – pasión – shared through a Campo Viejo wine.
Just like these wines, and Esnal’s exquisite menu, the 2018 Reserva Limited Edition is certainly an elegant expression of its components: a blend of Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo. Aged for a minimum of 18 months in a combination of American and French oak, with a further minimum of 18 months in bottle before release, it is a quintessential representation of classic Rioja Reserva. Alongside abundant red berry fruit, it has the perfect level of black pepper spice and an appealing touch of vanilla and coconut. Although drinking perfectly now, this wine will also offer great pleasure in the coming years.
The wine reflects Rioja’s diversity – key to the Campo Viejo philosophy. Through contracts with 500 growers across the region and close collaboration with a further 1,000, the winery captures the full range of flavours of Rioja’s panoply of sub-regions and terroirs.
The full palette of Rioja’s terroirs
It is Campo Viejo’s deep respect for the region and its traditions, coupled with creativity and a sense of adventure, that has secured its enduring status as a favourite for wine lovers worldwide.
Just like Pereiro’s vision for the latest incarnation of the Reserva Limited Edition label, Campo Viejo continues to celebrate the Spanish way of life, bringing people together through their authentic and honest Rioja wines.
Liquid art
Artist Carlota Pereiro with Campo Viejo's head winemaker, Ignacio López
This year’s label was designed by Carlota Pereiro, a Galician artist now based in Madrid, who works with a wide array of materials. She has created designs for everything from clothes to wallpaper, and even plates and glassware for companies like AC Hotels by Marriot and the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid.
Winemakers and artists: Shared passions
The full palette of Rioja’s terroirs
The wine reflects Rioja’s diversity – which is key to the Campo Viejo philosophy. Through contracts with 500 growers across the region and close collaboration with a further 1,000, the winery can capture the full range of flavours of Rioja’s panoply of sub-regions and terroirs. Central to this approach is Campo Viejo’s commitment to sustainable and regenerative viticulture, and to this end, it has undertaken three different studies with the University of Rioja, throwing the winery’s weight behind the science that will ensure a healthy future for the region.
A passion for new discoveries
Exactly this sort of innovation is still fundamental to Campo Viejo’s success; with 65 years of history behind it, the winery continues to boldly experiment and develop new wines. While a state-of-the-art winery handles the core production, Campo Viejo also has a separate trial facility dedicated to creativity and experimentation. Here, the winemaking team plays with different blends, varieties and finishes in small batches.
Through this experimental process, Campo Viejo has developed two new wines, soon to be released from its cellar door: a pure and elegant red Garnacha from a single parcel of old vines near Autol in Rioja Oriental, and a complex and layered white Rioja Reserva that embodies the area’s heritage.
The wine was launched over two days at Casa Pasión, Campo Viejo’s annual harvest festival, in Logroño. In the evening, delicious aromas filled the gardens and vineyards surrounding the winery as local produce cooked on the barbecue. DJs played lively music, while the sun setting over the magnificent Sierra Cantabria mountain range provided a stunning backdrop.
The second day was packed with activities reflecting the vibrant emotions conjured up by Campo Viejo wines. Guests were invited to unleash their creativity, first by painting clay plates with brightly coloured motifs representative of Rioja’s wines. Later, they discovered the art of blending, making their own version of Campo Viejo’s famous Reserva by mixing some of the winery’s best Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo. The guests were sent their finished wines, corked and labelled, to share with friends at home, in keeping with the philosophy of Casa Pasión.
The launch of the 2018 Reserva Limited Edition label was followed by an inspiring menu by chef Aitor Esnal, whose restaurant in Logroño has become famed for top gastronomy combining the finest local produce with striking Asian influences. Each dish was paired with a wine from the Campo Viejo range, including two new releases that are available exclusively from the winery itself: a pure and elegant red Garnacha from a single parcel of old vines near Autol in Rioja Oriental, and a complex and layered white Rioja Reserva that embodies the area’s heritage.
Casa Pasión: A celebration full of passion
Ignacio López, Campo Viejo’s head winemaker, draws another parallel between the two: both start from simple beginnings – the raw materials for an artwork, or the grapes and barrels used to shape a special blend. ‘The secret is that the result has to be superior to its ingredients,’ he says.
‘Making art and making wine both need time,’ says Pereiro, who stresses that both artists and winemakers must embrace the fact that their creation will change and develop after it has left their hands.
Ignacio López, Campo Viejo’s head winemaker, draws another parallel between the two: both start from simple beginnings – the raw materials for an artwork, or the grapes and barrels used to shape a special blend. ‘The secret is that the result has to be superior to its ingredients,’ he says.
The Cantina was founded in 1970, when a small group of growers banded together to pool their fruit and make wine. Now, five decades later, the winery takes grapes from 50 growers, though many of the founding families still contribute their crop every year. There is progress, but also continuity.
The Montalcino denominazione is bounded on four sides by river valleys and, unusually, almost perfectly square. From a terroir point of view it splits neatly into four quadrants. The winery is located in the north-east square, which is a place of gulleys, and sandy clay/marl soils. Next door, the north-west corner is cooler - fresh and breezy with richer soils.
ARTWORK: sssss
Graphics: Anastasiia Hevko / iStock / Getty Images Plus