THE SECRET OF OUR WINES
The best raw material
All the grapes used to make wine at the El Arca de Noé Winery are picked from vines in our own 780-ha vineyard. The average age of the vines is 35 years, with many having been planted over 50 years ago.
Ensconced in the Rioja Alta region, our vineyards are located mainly in the districts of San Asensio and Briones, and in neighbouring areas of Hormilla, Hormilleja and Nájera, an area internationally recognized for the extraordinary quality of both its soils and its vineyards.
Our soils are mainly clay-calcareous. This is a privileged area, located between the basins of the Najerilla and Ebro rivers, at an average altitude of 500 m and sheltered by two mountain ranges, Sierra de Cantabria to the north and Sierra de la Demanda to the south.
We grow different varieties of grapes, such as Tempranillo, Viura, Garnacha, Mazuelo, Malvasía or Tempranillo Blanco, which confer a myriad of nuances to our wines. The main varieties are:
TEMPRANILLO RED GRAPES
Considered autochthonous to Rioja, it is the main red grape variety in our vineyards and is largely responsible for defining the identity of our wines due to its great capacity to adapt to our soils. This highly versatile variety is ideal for producing smooth and fruity wines, with very balanced alcohol content, colour and acidity, and great ageing capacity.
TEMPRANILLO WHITE GRAPES
The undisputed star of one of our most modern "Arca de Noé Tempranillo Blanco" white wines, this is a unique variety in the world and native to Rioja, the result of a natural genetic mutation of the same variety of red grape.
It is used to produce balanced, structured white wines with fruity aromas.
VIURA
This is the main white variety grown in Rioja, and also the predominant variety in our vineyards.
It provides acidity, abundant fruity and floral aromas in young wines and is the preferred variety at the El Arca de Noé winery for the production of our renowned white wine, as well as the emblematic “Claret” wine from San Asensio.