The Sáenz de Samaniego family has been farming in the area since the 16th century – for so many generations, in fact, that their family name and the village’s name are the same. Grapes have been grown at the winery for over 250 years. Ostatu is located in an 18th-century structure in the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria range which was a former country inn where travelers would stop for nourishment and rest on their way across the mountainous Basque Country. In 1970, husband and wife, Doroteo and María Asunción Sáenz de Samaniego began bottling the first Ostatu cosechero wines, utilizing the whole- cluster, carbonic maceration style which is historic to the Rioja Alavesa region. Upon realizing the exceptional quality of their vineyards and potential, the winery was modernized in 2002 by four of their six children: Mariasun, Gonzalo, Iñigo, and Ernesto. They produce distinctive, high-quality Rioja with dedication to tradition & creative innovation.