A mutual love of food and wine is the foundation for every strong relationship. In this case, it is what brought a group of businessmen and friends—vacationing in La Rioja, Spain—together. The men first started their own gastronomic society, before endeavoring to open their own winery in 1973. To find the perfect name for their business they traveled back in time, naming it after “The Berones,” a Celtic Tribe who first inhabited Rioja in the 3rd century BC.
For the winemakers at Beronia, marginal rainfall, unseasonably high temperatures, and devastating hailstorms contributed to their highly selective harvest in 2012. 300 hectares of the vineyard were lost to Mother Nature’s surprise interference with the rain in Spain, but in spite of it all Beronia’s 2012 Reserva triumphs. After aging in mixed oak barrels of American Staves and French Tops for 20 months and aging another 18 months once bottled, the wait is finally over. There is a bouquet in each bottle of this cherry red wine: aromas of black fruits intermingle with spices and a cedar finish. What is not to love about the harmonious balance between acidic fruit and oak or the story folded into each glass?
