Bodegas Vega Saúco

THE WINERY

Bodega VEGA SAÚCO is a family-owned winery that dates back to 1989. The family has been in the viticulture business for more than 35 years.

In 1991 Wences began marketing their red wines made with the “Tinta de Toro” variety. Since then sales increased and the seeds for one of the leading wineries of the Toro Region were sown.
In 1997 we opened up a new winery equipped with state of the art winemaking systems. Bodegas Vega Saúco mainly produces highest quality Crianza and Reserva wines.
In 2005 the winery was complemented with subsequent expansions and a new cellar which accomodates 1,000 new wine barrels.
The results are quality wines that are contrasted and backed by their continually increasing market share and loyal clientele as well as for their prestigious national and awards and commendations in major international wine-tastings and competitions.

STORY
Wenceslao Gil Durantez is one of the most dynamic and well-known wine-makers in Spain. Born in a small village in the northwest of Spain in 1955 he became an oenologist in the 70’s. Ever since he has been known as “Wences”. He chose his professional career by chance. After he finished his football player career due to an injury, he decided to attend the School of the Winemaking in Madrid instead. He was one of the first students who graduated from the School as a vine and oenology specialist. As soon as he finished he started working in Burgos . In 1978 he moved to Toro.
Bodegas VEGA SAÚCO was founded in 1991 when after working in many wineries in all the North of Spain (in Ribera del Duero, Cigales or Rueda), he decided to buy vineyards in Toro and a small winery in Morales de Toro. The fact of being founder and president of the Castilla y Leon Oenologist Association between 1986 to 1996, underlines his knowledge of the wine sector in all the regions and in the whole Spanish territory.
He fell in love with the Toro area, the land, the weather, its people and mainly with the grape variety “Tinta de Toro”. 30 years of working in the area made him one of the greatest experts of his field, its performance and in the vinification and aging of it.
Wences has been innovating in the area since the beginning and was the first to produce “Crianza” and “Reserva” wines. In 1991 he started to produce his “Carbonic maceration”. He produced the first sweet natural wine in the area awarded with a gold medal in several contexts during its first year of live. Nowadays he also is experimenting with the first red sparkling wines from Toro. Currently his wife Mari Jose is responsible for wine tourism and his daugther Patricia, also an Oenologist, are working in the winery with the rest of the professional staff who make up the big family of VEGA SAÚCO.

VINEYARDS

Bodegas VEGA SAÚCO controls 68 ha. of vineyards and they aproximately own 60% of these vineyards.

Most of these vineyards are planted with red grape of the main variety “Tinta de Toro” while some of these vineyards cultivate the typical white varieties of the area: Malvasia and Verdejo.
The average vineyards are 40 years old but many of them are older than a century. They contain both cultivars: bush vines and also trellis system trained vines. The main variety is the grape that grows in Tinta de Toro, which is defined as a semistraight vine stock and has pentagonal leaves with big dents and a cottonlike fluffy underside with winged cylindrical clusters. The vineyards of VEGA SAÚCO are situated on the plateau that stretches between the Duero river and its tributary, the Guarena river, next to its estuary area. The local climate is very extreme, the sandy soil is poor and permeable and the gravel that rests on clay with good drenaje thermoregulates the process of ripening. Here the red varieties grow and mature to perfection. The average altitude of this land is 725 metres.

RECOGNITIONS, QUOTATIONS AND AWARDS

2009 & 2010: Guia Pehin of Spanish wines 2011: three wines over 90 points: Adoremus 2004 TO 2004, Adoremus 98 GR Guia Penin of Spanish wines 2010: TO 2005, 92 points. Adoremus 2004, 91 points.
TO 2004: Silver Zarcillo , Best wine at range Miami ME, Silver Medal at International Wine Competition Bruxelles,
TO 2005: Silver Medal at Selections Mondiales de Canada ADOREMUS 2004: Gold Zarcillo, Silver Medal at Selections Mondiales de Canada.
Parker’s Wine Buyer’s Guide: terrific value wines…
The Oxford Companion to Wine:…a small number of producers have chosen to move away from the heavy, bulky reds of recent times, notably Vega SAÚCO…
Wine For Dummies: …mentions Bodegas Vega SAÚCO as a recommended Toro producer
Chosen for the official Immaculate Virgin Conception celebration day at the Vatican.

VEGA SAUCO RESERVA1995 ZARCILLO DE BRONCE
VEGA SAUCO RESERVA 1996 ZARCILLO DE BRONCE
VEGA SAUCO TINTO CRIANZA1997 ZARCILLO DE BRONCE
VEGA SAUCO 2000 ZARCILLO DE BRONCE
VEGA SAUCO 2001 ZARCILLO DE BRONCE
VEGA SAUCO ADOREMUS 1999 ZARCILLO DE PLATA
WENCES1999 ZARCILLO DE PLATA
WENCES1998 BACCHUS DE BRONCE (U.E.C.)
VEGA SAUCO 1999 BACCHUS DE BRONCE (U.E.C.)
VEGA SAUCO BEYBI2002 BACO DE PLATA (U.E.C.)
SUMLLER 2001: 2g PREMIO: BEYBI 2002
VEGA SAUCO ADOREMUS 1999 MEDARXE D’ARGENT CONCOURS MONDIAL BRUXELLES
MIEMBRO DE LA COFRADIA “CHAINE DES ROTISSEURS”
NOBRADO “BODEGA LIDER DE ESPANA” POR LA ACADEMIA DEL VINO Y LA GASTRONOMIA
COLABORADOR DEL MOVTMIENTO “SLOW FOOD” EN EUROPA.
ZARCILLO DE PLATA RESERVA ADOREMUS 1999
ZARCILLO DE PLATA WENCES 1999
SILVER MEDAL AT CONCOURS MONDIAL DE BRUXELLES : WENCES 1999
GOLD MEDAL AT CONCOURS MONDIAL DE BRUXELLES : FLOR DEL SAUCO
SR.VER MEDAL AT WINE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT UK 2008: TO VEGA SAUCO 2004