Bodegas y Vinedos Goyenechea Winery

Goyenechea was founded in 1868 by Santiago and Narciso Goyenechea, Spanish Basque brothers. They came from Albóniga, a district of Bermeo, an important fishing port in the province of Biscay. The commercial and industrial growth of Bilbao, the capital city of the province, had not begun. These were times of civil wars in the Spain of the mid 19th century. Santiago and Narciso, the only male children, emigrated to Argentina in 1852. They initially settled in Buenos Aires, where they established a warehouse, dealing in wines, other beverages and foods. In 1864, Santiago and his wife Prudence, appeared in the Register of Concepción Parish, Mendoza. In 1872 Santiago Goyenechea, drowned in a shipwreck, crossing the River Plate. His son-in-law, Pedro Bilbao, followed him in running the company, until the first years of the 1900's. During his years: the vineyards and winery of Villa Atuel, in the South of the Province of Mendoza were acquired; Goyenechea was one of the founders of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce of the Argentine Republic, of which, today, it is the only surviving member; and the company changed its name ("Goyenechea, Bilbao y Cia" and then "Bilbao, Rentería y Cia). Pedro then returned to Spain and became Mayor of Bilbao. By the end of the 1800's, an irrigation system had been developed on over 5,000 hectares, on the right bank of the river Atuel, including our town of Villa Atuel, by the Navarrese emigrant Bernardino Izuel. That area was planted with grapevines, primarily by the Arizu and Goyenechea families. In the years 1930 - 40, this was the largest continuous vineyard area in the world. Wineries were built, and the most prestigious varieties of grapes were cultivated. Goyenechea's 1,200 hectares included 50 houses, a chapel, a school and a social club, used by the company's employees. With this investment in Mendoza, vine growing becomes the leading activity of the company, which still maintains its headquarters and warehouse in Buenos Aires. In the early years, the wine is sold in barrels, which are transported by railroad from the warehouse. It is distributed throughout the country, especially to the humid Pampas and the provinces of Mesopotamia. The third generation of the family, still Spanish having been born in Bilbao, manages the company during the greater part of the first half of the 20th century. Bottled wines begin to grow in relative importance, with brands such as "Marqués del Nevado", "Vasconia" and "Patria". Around 1965 the fourth generation, now of Argentine birth, joins the company. Activity moves to exclusively bottling fine wines, eliminating the sale of table wine and involvement with other foods. Based on its high quality grapes from the Villa Atuel vineyards, the winery develops the Aberdeen-Angus brand, for the association of breeders of this famous line of cattle. Simultaneously, exports to the United States and Paraguay begin, followed by other American and European countries. The domestic and international distribution of Aberdeen Angus is made entirely by Goyenechea. In 1993 Goyenechea is one of the founders of the Council of Controlled Denomination of Origin San Rafael, reputedly the original Argentine D.O.C. We are the first S. American winery to export an "appellation contrôlee" wine, our 1993 Chardonnay. A year later the relationship with Aberdeen Angus finishes; the company sells exclusively its own "Goyenechea" brands in the domestic and international markets. In 1998 the fifth generation of the family enters the company. It is transformed into a joint-stock company. Today Goyenechea is the oldest established, independent, family-owned winery in Argentina. The winery, located in the center of the vineyard, is involved in the complete process of wine production, from the reception of the harvest to the distribution of the wine. The company concentrates its efforts on producing Fine Wines, sold under the "Goyenechea", "Marques del Nevado", "Tango Real", "Tero Real" and "Vasconia" brand names.Obtaining the highest quality in our wines requires having our own estate grown grapes. We do not depend on the purchase of grapes from small growers; thereby avoiding variations in the quality of the grapes that we use. Our winemakers, in collaboration with the managers, concentrate on quality, investigating different ways to stand out: selection of stocks of leavenings and bacteria; relation of colour/extract; techniques of "délestage" in fermentation; influences of the systems of conduction of the grapevine; etc.

 



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