Portrait of Rafael Vivanco
i. Biography
At Bodegas Vivanco in Briones, La Rioja, Spain, the work of Rafael Vivanco starts with owned vineyards and a cellar built around comparison, not uniformity. The brief is to test grape varieties against one another and find the most fitting path for each, so the wines can carry Rioja breadth without losing clarity. That means treating experimentation as a practical tool: a way to shape diversity into wines that stay legible in the glass.
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Today
Modern Rioja, in this case, is built through fruit expression and measured oak use. Rafael Vivanco’s current wines aim for immediate appeal while keeping structure and place intact, with innovation filtered through mostly French oak. The frame is deliberate rather than heavy-handed, leaving freshness and ripeness visible rather than covered over.
Signature
Vivanco Blanco 2024, Vivanco Crianza 2022, and Vivanco Reserva 2019 show the range of Rafael Vivanco’s cellar work. The white reads in a contemporary register, while the two reds move from fruit-led ease to a more layered, composed style without losing pace. Across the trio, the common thread is the same: wines drawn from the winery’s own vineyards and shaped to keep varietal difference clear.
In Their Words “All the Vivanco wines come from our own vineyards, so the idea was to experiment and try to find the best way suited to each of those different grape varieties to bring diversity of Rioja in our Vivanco wines.”
Recognition
Rioja expressed through white and red wines made in a modern, fruit-forward register. Public descriptions also note that he was born in 1975 and has guided Vivanco wines with a focus on sustainable viticulture and vineyard preservation in Rioja. he was born in 1975 and has guided Vivanco wines with a focus on sustainable viticulture and vineyard preservation in Rioja. E studied agricultural engineering in Pamplona and specialized in oenology in Bordeaux, and that he returned in 2001 to develop authentic, terroir-driven wines from individual plots and native Rioja varieties.
And that he returned in 2001 to develop authentic. he studied agricultural engineering in Pamplona and specialized in oenology in Bordeaux, and that he returned in 2001 to develop authentic, terroir-driven wines from individual plots and native Rioja varieties.
FAQ
Asked of Rafael
What is Rafael Vivanco's current role?
Rafael Vivanco is Winemaker.
What is Rafael Vivanco known for?
Modern, fruit-forward Rioja blancos and tintos.
The Sunday email
Read about winemakers like Rafael Vivanco in the Sunday email.
Every Sunday we send a lead story and up to four more about the chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and hoteliers behind the restaurants, bars, wineries and hotels we cover.
Recent stories
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