The Story

C.V.N.E., or to give it its full name, La Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (The Northern Spanish Wine Company) was established on the 24th March 1879 in Haro, Rioja. Set up by two brothers, Eusebio and Raimundo Real de Asúa, their aim was to capitalise on the flourishing new trade in wine.

C.V.N.E. is based in Haro’s traditional Barrio de la Estación district, in the heart of the Rioja wine region. Historically, some of the oldest wineries of Rioja Alta established themselves here in order to benefit from the ease of transport via rail to the port of Bilbao, the most efficient form of transport in those days.

“My ancestors worried about one thing only: making the best possible wine. I have added another concern to this (very short) list: to make our wines known across the world.”

Victor Urrutia, C.E.O. of C.V.N.E.

By 1900, the winery had an extraordinary ageing capacity of 80,000 bottles, which was most unusual at the time, as most wineries sold their wines as soon as possible.

C.V.N.E. is still controlled by the direct descendants of the founding family, now in its fifth generation. C.V.N.E. has four wineries in Rioja: Cune, Imperial, Viña Real and Contino.

In June 2017, C.V.N.E. purchased the renowned Catalonia winery Roger Goulart, dating back to 1882, located in the world-famous D.O. Cava region.

The latest addition to their portfolio in 2018 is Virgen del Galir, set against the stunning backdrop of D.O. Valdeorras in Galicia, joined the C.V.N.E. portfolio in 2018.

In the year of their 140th anniversary, C.V.N.E. brought Riojan elegance to Ribera del Duero with the addition of Bela, named after one of Eusebio Real de Asúa’s children.

In 2023, La Val – one of the pioneering wineries of D.O. Rías Baixas – became the latest addition to the C.V.N.E. family of wineries.