Effort, determination, a passion for things done well and a clear philosophy focussed on the vineyard. There have been four generations which have written the history of our family, the “Luis Cañas Family”.
For more than a century, our family has been devoted to producing and selling traditional young wines made by the carbonic maceration method (whole clusters). These were made in the Cueva de los Curas (Priests’ Cavern), an ancient cellar carved out of the ground and which still today forms part of the landscape of the area.
Formerly, the wines were transported by Carlos Cañas, the father of Luis Cañas (now 87 years´ old), in carts drawn by mules, crossing the Sierra Cantabria and Montes de Vitoria to the borders of Bilbao and San Sebastián, more than 100 kilometres from Villabuena.
In 1928 the founder, Luis Cañas was born. A perfectionist, exceptionally hardworking and whose motivation was always the pride of achieving the best quality in his vineyards and consequently in his bulk wines which convinced the palates of the great wine merchants who at the time were based in the Bilbao Alhóndiga market
It was in 1970 that Luis Cañas went on the market selling bottled young wines which had previously only been sold in bulk. That same year, not far from the Cueva de los Curas, we created the winery which bears our name and poured into it all our passion for the grape, the true origin of wines of the finest quality from the Rioja Alavesa.
1989 marks a milestone in the history of our cellar, with Juan Luis Cañas, son of Luis Cañas, taking over the reins. Just 33 years old, he brought a breath of fresh air to the winery while preserving the work ethic and family tradition thanks to his character as a perfectionist and non-conformist. This meant it was not enough for him just to make good young wines, but rather, now to start making new wines with an increasing emphasis on aged wines.
In 1994 we inaugurated a new, modern cellar equipped with the best winemaking facilities. Since then, in Bodegas Luís Cañas we have not ceased in our efforts, with constant improvements and extensions to our plant in order to continue improving the quality of our wines.
the character of Juan Luis, one of the most restless and innovative winemakers in the country, combined with the know-how and experience of the team at the winery, have made it possible for our wines to become recognised all over the world with the most prestigious awards.
Craftsmanship starts with the best vines, where we practise rational viticulture which respects the environment throughout the growing cycle.
We believe that tradition does not need to clash with innovation, but rather they go hand-in-hand in order to improve.
Care, perfection and loving attention to what we do can be seen from the very way we transport the clusters of grapes, in small plastic crates in the case of the oldest vineyards and in small trailers for younger vines.
As well as selecting on the vine itself, ALL Luis Cañas wines undergo a double selection process. First they pass through a sorting table where the clusters are selected by hand and subsequently, each individual berry is checked on a Mistral table, so that only those in perfect condition continue in the process.
The most stringent winemaking process. We select the French- and American-oak casks, from among the best cooperages in the world. The cask stock is renewed continuously, so the average age is three years. A real luxury.
Committed to quality and to society.
In 2006 we started a pioneering project in Spain: the construction of a home for agricultural workers.
With room for 40 people in separate dormitories for men and women, toilets, and also laundry, industrial kitchen, canteen, rest room and infirmary. This initiative received the prestigious 2008 Caring Company Award given by the magazine Dato Económico.
Always committed to the environment and to quality, we were the first winery in Spain to obtain the BRC Protocol with AENOR, the ISO 14.000, the ISO 9.002 quality certification, and we inaugurated our own Waste water Treatment Plant.
LUIS CAÑAS RESERVA
Wines destined to become Luis Cañas Reserva wines come from vineyards with vines an average of 40 years which are tasted after vinification in order to decide the best type of oak for their ageing.
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