Bodegas Fariña

The beginnings of Bodegas Fariña date back to 1942, when Salvador Fariña bought an old run-down winery in the small village of Casaseca de las Chanas in the Toro region during difficult times. In Spain, the bloody civil war had only recently ended, while in the rest of Europe the 2nd World War was raging. No one could have guessed at the time that this bumpy start would be the beginning of one of Spain's most successful wineries.

When Manuel Fariña took over the winery in the late 1960s, he had only recently finished his viticulture studies. He came back to Toro to his father's winery with many radical ideas and visions. Manuel knew exactly what changes he had to make in order to be able to produce first-class wines here, because until then the Toro region had only been considered a producer of cheap everyday wines that were considered rustic and too rich in alcohol. Manuel's ambition and his steadfast belief in the potential of his homeland and his regional grape variety "Tinta de Toro" led him to put his ideas into practice despite all resistance. The following measures brought about the turnaround to more freshness, elegance and less alcohol: an earlier harvest than the one traditionally started on October 12, temperature-controlled fermentation and processing of the grapes in stainless steel and modern cultivation methods in the vineyard.

Yet for all his efforts toward modern wines, Manuel has never forgotten the basis for the region's enormous potential for quality: the special microclimate of the Castilian plateau and its ancient vines. Grapes from Tinta de Toro vines up to 140 years old still go into the Bodagas Fariña wines today. Although the old vines yield considerably less, they produce a more concentrated, intense flavor. Thanks to these efforts and the massive improvements in the wines, there was a real boom in the new wines from Toro, which also earned the region "D.O." status in 1987. Manuel became the first president of this new quality wine region, which previously was only allowed to sell country wine. The name Fariña was celebrated throughout the world as the founding father of the region and synonymous with its wines. In Casaceca de las Chanas, they have remained down-to-earth despite their worldwide successes. The winery is still located in the old walls that Salvador once acquired. However, it has long since been modernized and expanded to include another site in the village. Manuel Fariña is very proud that his son Manu has also followed in his footsteps and, after studying viticulture, is now managing the winery together with his father in the third generation.