Viña Ane: the secrets of the Sonsierra Mountains

Visitors to Bodega del Monge-Garbati (Viña Ane) will find at the very entrance a small vineyard that is almost 121 years old. There, Eduardo Monge shows them a historical collection of grape varieties in Rioja: Viura, Malvasía, Calagraño and Teta de Vaca (80% white grapes), mixed with 20% of reds such as Tempranillo, Graciano and French Garnacha. Viña Ane is owned by husband and wife Eduardo Monge and Lorena Garbati, with their daughter Ane lending her name to the brand.

After 22 years hauling wine, Eduardo decided to build a small winery in 2003. He owns just 4.5 hectares and buys some white grapes so it’s a small business, but the estate is looked after by the couple and their wines are made with the greatest care and attention.

Viña Ane Centenaria white is probably their flagship wine. It boasts the complexity of the historical varieties and the new indigenous grapes approved by Rioja’s Regulatory Board in 2009 (11 varieties altogether). Viña Ane Autor is made from the red grapes grown in their own vineyards, while Viña Ane Selección comes from two plots with clay-limestone soils in the highest part of San Vicente.

The couple also makes a premium wine called El Laberinto. Its label —like those of the rest of the wines— was designed by José Uríszar, a renowned local painter: “Both the label and the name (the labyrinth) reflect the singularity and challenging characteristics of this vineyard,” explains Eduardo. In this sense, some vineyards in San Vicente, probably due to some genetic flaw, are known as cepas falsas (false vines): “Many years, during the flowering period, the vineyard sets poorly and produces insipid, green berries”, explains the winegrower. “In 2009, grape setting was perfect. At first, I didn’t think anything of it, but I tasted a few grapes just before the harvest and I realised that it was an explosion of fruit so we decided to make a wine from this fruit.” Thus was born the first vintage of El Laberinto de Viña Ane. A recommended visit, as the winemaker knows the historic wine presses, known as lagares, and the necropolis of the Sonsierra like the back of his hand.