In 1997 Enrique J. de Benito began a complete overhaul of the winery, based on a change in the business philosophy. The existing installations were built, fitted out with the most up-to-date winemaking technology available at that time. Convinced that the science of grape-growing is the cornerstone for making great wines, vines were planted further to investigate this aspect of the business, especially of the “Verdejo” variety, one of the key elements for achieving the exceptional wines for which the Rueda D.O. is justifiably renowned.
In 1992 his son, Juan, became Managing Director. This marked the start of the second phase of restructuring, based on the same business philosophy but introducing further updating and modernization. A further son, Alvaro, joined the company in 2001, with responsibility for the Commercial and Export areas, helping to design the new expansion and marketing plans.
Today, Alvarez & Diez has an important presence in the domestic market and we export to over fifteen countries.
A little bit of history
Nava del Rey was originally called “Nava de Medina” during the period when the area was being repopulated by Christians in the XII century. In 1560, Philip II – having paid the sum of 10,000 “maravedies” (one of the early gold coins of the era) per citizen – freed the village from the Medina jurisdiction, renaming it from that time “Villa de la Nava del Rey” (literally Town of the King’s Plain). Continuing development followed with many privileges being conceded to the town by successive Monarchs. The railway connection, which arrived in 1864, was decisive for improving trade in the locally produced wines with the important northern markets.
Towards the end of the 19th Century, the Nava del Rey vines and those in the surrounding areas were destroyed by the phylloxera plague, not recovering fully until well into the 20th century.
In 1941 Messrs Modesto Alvarez Romero and Eladio Díez Ossorio created the firm Alvarez y Diez S.A. and thus our winery was born which, to this day, continues to bear their name as a small homage to these regional pioneers. |
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