Winemaker
Cristina Amezola
- Discipline
- Winemaker
- Based in
- Torremontalbo, Spain
i. Biography
Owner of Bodegas Amézola de la Mora in Torremontalbo, Spain, Cristina Amezola carries one of Rioja’s clearest forms of recognition: stewardship of an estate-led family winery with her sister María. Their work centers on Estate-grown D.O.Ca. Rioja wines, shaped through a house approach that joins inheritance with risk, imagination, and precision.
The Honours
The title that carries the weight is owner. At Bodegas Amézola de la Mora, Cristina Amezola holds that role in Torremontalbo, a village in Spain tied directly to the winery’s identity and to the D.O.Ca. Rioja wines made from its estate-grown fruit. With her sister María, she represents the fifth generation leading the family enterprise. María and Cristina Amézola Downes continued that enterprise by taking over the direction of the project, keeping family responsibility close to the everyday decisions behind the wines. Recognition here is not framed through a named medal or competition result. It sits in the continuity of ownership, the visibility of a fifth-generation handover, and the specificity of a winery still presented through the people directing it.
The Craft
The work is rooted in Estate-grown D.O.Ca. Rioja wines from Torremontalbo. Under María and Cristina Amezola, the winery blends tradition and innovation to make wines reflecting the estate’s character, elegance, and authenticity. Cristina is described as creative, unorthodox, willing to take risks, and focused on imagining wines and their possibilities. That description matters in a region where lineage can easily become repetition; her role is tied to keeping the estate’s character legible while allowing room for new decisions. The owner-led tasting gives the clearest view of the range. Iñigo Amézola Blanco, Viña Amézola Crianza, Señorío Amézola Reserva, and Iñigo Amézola Tinto are included, placing white wine, crianza, reserva, and red expressions within one guided experience. Another focused format is the commented vertical tasting of Señorío Amezola across four vintages. In that setting, the wine is not treated as a single release but as a sequence, allowing differences between harvests to become part of the estate’s story.
The Career
Cristina Amezola’s career is defined by the family project rather than by a public ladder of outside appointments. Her current role is owner of the Torremontalbo winery, and her leadership is shared with María as part of the fifth generation at the estate. The sisters’ decision to take over direction of the project continued the family enterprise. In practical terms, that places Cristina’s career at the point where ownership, wine style, hospitality, and long-term estate identity meet. Her public work is therefore best understood through the wines and tastings attached to the house. The Estate-grown D.O.Ca. Rioja focus gives the wines their origin; the tasting formats give visitors a direct route into the bottles; the fifth-generation leadership gives the project its human continuity.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Cristina
What is Cristina Amezola's current role?
Cristina Amezola is owner of Bodegas Amézola de la Mora in Torremontalbo, Spain.
What awards has Cristina Amezola received?
A specific award has not been named for Cristina Amezola; the recognition attached to her work is her ownership and fifth-generation leadership of the family winery.
What is Cristina Amezola's most notable recognition?
Her most notable recognition is leading Bodegas Amézola de la Mora with her sister María as part of the fifth generation of the family enterprise.
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