Manuel Ruiz then showed his partner Roberto San Ildefonso his full hand. “If he located his initiative in DO Toro, I would commit all the way. Roberto said yes immediately, since he also appreciated the region’s many advantages”. This was back in 1998.

Having agreed on the basics, they bought a vineyard under DO Toro, in the municipality of the same name. The 80-hectare estate was made up of a number of small plots under old Tinta de Toro vines, the appellation’s variety par excellence. Once they had the grape they wanted, the pair focused their efforts on building a modern and practical winery that would also cater for traditional winemaking methods. “At that point there were only six wineries under DO Toro. Now there are 42 of us,” recalls Manuel Ruiz Hernández. He believes this detail “makes Bodegas Sobreño stand out as a representative of today’s Toro, though we are closely bonded to classical winemaking”.

The winery’s first vintage was 1999. “It was an excellent year, and the team at Sobreño worked exceptionally. The machine got rolling and both the market and the critics gave our venture the best possible welcome”.

Ever since, the winery that Manuel Ruiz Hernández directs is soaring. They were included on Lufthansa’s in-flight winelist, they are purveyors to the Holy See and currently export to over 20 countries.

The star players in this success story are three wines that Manuel Ruiz pampers with all his passion and wisdom: Finca Sobreño Selección Especial, Finca Sobreño Crianza and Finca Sobreño Roble.