BODEGAS FRANCO ESPANOLAS

Mission

We aim to be the choice Rioja wine for both day-to-day use and special events. Let us mark the difference in the way we deal with clients and show to advantage what we do and who we are.

And offer value to our clients, suppliers and society at large.

Vision

Uphold traditional production of certified-origin Rioja wines, while we lead in a sustainable and profit-making way.

Values

Striving for excellence in winemaking..Target our winery to meet clients' demands..Full quality

and our wines, processes and services ceaseless improvement..Commitment to the environment protection jointly with our employees: based on professional expertise, team-work, and humane approach.

125 years of History -  Bodegas Franco-Españolas

 ·  Youtube (to see it online): https://youtu.be/QJzNuP9f8NQ

Wine never travels alone. It tells many stories, and the history of Logroño, it’s the story of Franco Españolas Winery.

In 1890 Frederick Anglade founds the winery.

The  first grape harvest in 1891 gives birth to the wines Diamante, Royal and Borgoña.

The philoxera plague comes to France. This insect attacks the root of grape vines. In 1899 the plague arrives in  La Rioja and Franco Españolas is the first winery in Spain to use a french method to prevent the plague.

Some of the greatest exports of the winery take place during the First World War, when La Rioja becomes a reference point for wine exportation to the neutral countries in Europe.

Switzerland, Holland or Norway are the countries were sales increase the most.

So begins the adventure of Franco Españolas in its quest to travel around the world.

But wait a minute, there’s a small detail here.  In 1919 Marcos Eguizabal was born. But that’s another story, or perhaps, another part of  history.

Thanks to the influence of the Count of Romanones, the wines Royal  and Diamante, travel around Europe .

The roaring twenties happily ask for Franco Españolas wines. The bars in Logroño increasingly buy the product, while the  winery improves its machinery, invests on advertising and its first toilet.

In 1933 the United States ends with Prohibition and Franco Españolas Winery crosses the Atlantic to sell in America.

Royal Claret and Diamante appear on the Wine Menus of important New York City hotels such as

the Fusco, the Waldorf Astoria or the Whitehall Club, where the wines become and important feature at many banquets and ceremonies.

However...

Spain isn’t doing so well. During the spanish civil war Wine seizures are made for the army. The winery meets an enemy it couldn’t imagine: The closing of Spain borders

Right after Madrid’s Deal, Spain enters the UNESCO, The UN and the IMF.  The Regulatory Council of La Rioja reappears.

The Council encourages the teaching of enology in the country and requires that farmers cultivate grape vines and elaborate wine properly.

The sales in Spain grow spectacularly, but also in  the rest of the world, 

Many celebrities such as Hemingway, visit the winery. There’s no doubt the winery has become  one the most important spots in Logroño. 

1964, the year of the best harvest of the 20th century. 

The United States  becomes one of the biggests  buyers from Franco Españolas Winery. Its wines appears at  important events, such as the lunch which was prepared to host US president Eisenhower in Madrid or the wedding of Queen Fabiola of Belgium

1971 and 1972 are bad years for  La Rioja, and in 1973, the ascendants of the Winery meets another enemy: The International Oil Crisis.

A group of financial institutions arrive in  Logroño to take advantage of the crisis and buy several wineries, including Franco Españolas. 

But Remember that man who was born in 1919? 

Marcos Eguizábal, in 1894,  buys the winery and it becomes a family business for the first time in its history. 

Because he loved culture and sports, he was named president of the Logroñés Football Team, taking the club to its best period in the Spanish First Division for almost ten years of glory. 

At that time he also produces the film “Oro fino”, filmed inside the winery. 

With just one objective , which was to make the best wine you could ever imagine, and with great  business vision, Marcos manages to bring back the winery distinctives to the international fame 

In recent years it also gained several awards 

Franco Españolas Winery has a significant online presence through its website, the use of social 

networks, and an online store called vinogaleria.com

Carlos and Rosa, descendants of Marcos, have dedicated their lives to runing the winery together with his  father. And that’s how a family, stays  united and keepas  a winery with 125 years of history strong. 

125 years after the romantic french man who founded it, Franco Españolas  is now a great winery selling in more than 60 contries and mantaining  its  lidership  in the spanish market. 

 The winery has a strong commitment with culture and the history of wine... 

And so now we would like to celebrate its 125 years of history.

Dtd 2015.05

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