60% Chardonnay, 40% Viura

Food pairings: Roast lamb, grilled vegetables and legumes, and meats from white meats to roasts and game.

Winemaking: The grapes are picked by hand, the Viura in the first two weeks of October and the Chardonnay in the second or third week. The wine is fermented in 225-liter American oak barrels with a medium toast, then stays on its lees for seven months with bâtonnage, daily at first and then less often.

Vineyards and terroir: The grapes come from the family's vineyards in Grávalos, including old Viura, on the southern slopes of Mount Yerga in the foothills of the Sistema Ibérico, at 700 to 800 meters. The high, cool site gives wines with very good acidity and fine, elegant aromas.

Family and history: Vinsacro is made by the Escudero family (Familia Escudero), who have grown grapes and made wine for generations around Grávalos in the Rioja Baja. Bodegas Vinsacro, in Pradejón, is one of the family's wineries.

In the pictures: The family's vineyards in Grávalos; vines in autumn; and a historic photograph of the Escudero family. Photographs courtesy of Familia Escudero.