Bodegas Tradicion, Fino

Palomino

Andalucía, Spain

Bodegas Tradición was founded in 1998 by Joaquín Rivero Valcarce, scion of one of the region’s most historically prominent wine families. Bodega CZ, J.M. Rivero was established in the early 1650s, making it one of the oldest firms on record. Its golden age was most certainly the 19^th century – in 1855, it housed over 3,000 butts and commercialized a dozen or more world-renowned brands. The bodega’s fortunes waned with those of the region, and it was finally sold in 1991 to a Cordoba-based olive oil and vinegar concern, adding it to the long list of historic firms that shuttered in the latter part of the 20^th century. In many ways, Bodegas Tradición has more in common with the archaeological museum than it does with a conventional winery. Tradición is one of the youngest outfits in the region, yet it houses some of the oldest wines. With the exception of a Fino, which at approximately twelve years of age is an unusually mature wine for its category, all the wines at Tradición are older than the firm itself.