Olivier Rivière

Today there would not be a Sommelier or enthusiastic amateur taster in Spain that has not heard about Olivier Rivière and his small, artisan production of Rioja and Arlanza wines; he is one of the new Grandees of Spain.

Olivier studied enology in Bordeaux and has since worked with some of the leading estates in Burgundy; Domaine Leroy in Vosne-Romanée (where his main interest was to learn about their biodynamic methods).

His original idea was to start his own Languedoc estate in Fitou which didn't eventuate so he moved to Spain with his wife and began working at and estate in the Ribera del Duero. Eventually, an ideological conflict with the owner forced him to leave and so in 2004 he took a job with an estate in Rioja Alavesa to convert its vines into biodynamic culture and he began making their grapes into wine.

He decided to stay in Rioja and began looking for vines tended organically and found a grower in the tiny village of Cárdenas, and bought and vinified his grapes. Shortly afterwards he was also able to rent a 1.20 ha plot from another grower and had his first harvest in 2006. Olivier Rivière Vinos was born.

Olivier Rivière is now, in such a short space of time, considered one of Spain’s most talented winemakers. He, like many others, believes great wines are made in the vineyard and he has an uncanny knack for knowing what his vineyards need to achieve their greatest potential. As his great talent has become known, many winemakers now seek to collaborate with him – watch this space.

His wines can be characterised by their full flavours and silken textures - they are full bodied but very lithe and incredibly drinkable.

Show me all the items from Olivier Rivière