Richi Arambarri and the Bodegas Riojanas Operation

Richi Arambarri, CEO and founder of Vintae, returns to the podcast at the helm of a deal that has defined the year in Spanish wine. He was our first guest from Rioja, back in episode 9, and today he returns because Vintae, the wine group he has led since the age of 23, has taken control of 90% of Bodegas Riojanas, the historic winery that helped found the Denomination of Origin and owns brands such as Viña Albina and Monte Real, following a negotiation process with fourteen creditor banks.

In this conversation, Richi explains how the deal came together from the inside, what they saw in a winery in pre-insolvency proceedings where the banks only saw debt, and what is going to change at Bodegas Riojanas from now on, from the number of product references to the role of wine tourism.

We talk about:

➔ How to negotiate with fourteen banking institutions and what makes this type of deal particularly unusual in Spain.

➔ The plan to reduce Bodegas Riojanas’ brand portfolio and restore the historical strength of its brands.

➔ The role wine tourism plays in Vintae’s strategy and in this new chapter for the winery.

PODCAST NOTES

· Vintae Website

· Instagram