During an intimate gathering in Düsseldorf at Prowein 2023, Bodegas Faustino announced plans to build a new state-of-the-art visitor centre at its home in Rioja. The multi-million euro development, called El Legado de Bodegas Faustino (The Legacy of Bodegas Faustino), is being carried out in phases and will not only see the construction of its showstopping visitor centre, but the renovation of existing winery facilities and buildings.
During a trip at the close of 2022, I saw stage one first-hand – a facelift of the production and aging facilities at the winery to not only improve the aesthetics, but the efficiency of wine production and carbon emissions. Vegetation cover over the facades, for example, will help regulate building temperatures during the extreme weather spectrum throughout the year, while a new vinification cellar will provide extra tools for the production of quality white wines.
Of course the star of the new development is the visitor centre, which is now under construction. The wooden structure, surrounded by gardens, will create a full-circle experience for tourists as well as boosting Faustino’s exposure and global reputation. Plans for the building have prioritised sustainability, both in construction and for future use.
Into the future
Lourdes Martínez Zabala, chief executive of Familia Martínez Zabala, owner of Faustino, said: “Bodegas Faustino is a unique, innovative, technological and sustainable world-leading brand that is a benchmark for Rioja wines of the highest quality. Now, El Legado de Bodegas Faustino allows the winery to live and develop in an architectural space that has those same attributes and that projects Bodegas Faustino into the future, while allowing us to be a tourist destination, which helps to energise the Oyón area, our roots, and the Rioja Designation of Origin.”
Faustino is the leader in production and exports of Rioja Gran Reserva worldwide and has been for more than 30 years. The winery holds a current market share of 35% for Rioja and Bodegas Faustino currently houses around 60,000 barrels and more than 9 million bottles.
This latest project has been carried out by architectural firm Foster+Partners, which developed the still futuristic winery for Bodegas Portia, which sits under the same portfolio, back in 2011 and both Portia and Faustino are regular members of Drinks International’s World’s Most Admired Wine Brands.
This latest project, El Legado de Bodegas Faustino, is the kind of holistic approach to sustainability, tourism and of course winemaking which makes Faustino one of the industry’s most revered producers.
