All change at Bodegas Cosme Palacio

By James Lawrence

Published: 23 March, 2022

Leading Rioja winery Cosme Palacio has announced a series of important changes at the firm, including new personnel, the launch of a white wine, and a label shakeup.

Based in Laguardia, in the Rioja Alavesa sub-region, Cosme Palacio has decided to remove the word "Crianza" from its front label and replace it with the reference “Vino de Laguardia”, thus highlighting the value of its terroir and origin.

This is a significant move for the brand; Rioja's time-honoured system of classifying/labelling wines according to length of ageing before release is still adopted by the vast majority of headline producers.

According to the winery, Cosme Palacio's Reserva will also include this distinction on its labels from the 2017 vintage onwards, which will go on sale in 2023.

In addition, Cosme Palacio will launch its Blanco Reserva this year, based on the 2018 vintage.

“The wine, which is inspired by white wines made in the winery as far back as 1927, draws on the winery’s long heritage and expertise and is made using a selection of old vine Viura from the Rioja Alavesa,” said a representative from Cosme Palacio.

Meanwhile, José Tejedor will take over from Roberto Rodríguez as the new winemaker, becoming part of the team led by Almudena Alberca MW.

From a vine growing family, Tejedor has a masters in oenology, viticulture and business management from the University of La Rioja. His career has taken him to some of the world's most famous wine regions – Tejedor was consultant winemaker in the Baron Philippe de Rothschild winery in Maipo Chile; assistant director in Bodegas Numanthia in Toro, and technical director at Château Carcanieux in the Medoc.

"I am very excited to come back home to Spain and take on this role at a winery with such a long history behind it. It represents a great responsibility, which I am thrilled to inherit, as Cosme Palacio is a brand with a great personality and a character that makes it unique. That is why it is a winery of reference in the Rioja Alavesa,” said Tejedor.

According to the company, there are also plans to revive Cosme Palacio's tourism offering. The bodega was the first in Rioja Alavesa to open a hotel in 1991.

However, it has remained closed since undergoing extensive renovations in 2016. This is due to change, with “plans to reopen with a pioneering philosophy and operational model.”

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