The “Cofradía del Vino de Rioja” (Rioja Wine Brotherhood) is a non-profit association that was established on June 30, 1984 in the town of San Millán de la Cogolla (La Rioja) and, more specifically, in the Hispanic Hall of the Monastery of Yuso of the aforementioned town, where its first Grand Chapter took place, although already in July 1982 its founding statutes were approved at the national level.
The Promoting Board was made up of eleven people and, in the first Grand Chapter, held in the place and date already mentioned, the eleven members of the Promoting Board, sixty-seven “Numeral Brothers” and fifty-seven were invested as “Elder Brothers”. Four more people joined the list of “Aspirant Brotherhoods”, some of whom were invested as “Numerous Brotherhoods” in the II Great Chapter of the Brotherhood held in Santo Domingo de la Calzada (La Rioja) on October 6, same year 1984.
It was a spectacular and magical year for the Brotherhood: the year of its foundation, a total of one hundred and thirty-two people were invested, between Senior Brothers, Numeraries and Aspirants.
The provisional headquarters were set in Logroño, specifically in the DOCa Rioja Regulatory Council at that time located on Jorge Vigón street, moving shortly after to a first floor on Avenida de la Paz, until arriving, so definitively, in the current headquarters located at Horno street, 1 de Logroño, in Villabuena, a building made up of the noble hall, located on the ground floor, another hall-library on the first floor and the one for the administration on the second flat. The building was bought, rehabilitated and accommodated to the needs of the Brotherhood. It was inaugurated on April 2, 1995.
A few years later, a place adjacent to the building owned by the Brotherhood was purchased, located on the ground floor of Calle Los Baños. Once rehabilitated, it was joined to the Brotherhood building, with access to the noble hall, thus achieving an additional space of about 65 m2, which is currently used as a tasting room.
The headquarters is, par excellence, the meeting point between brothers, the meeting place for suppliers and the celebration of personal investiture of new brothers.
The Brotherhood is directed by the Board of Senior Dignitaries made up of a maximum of eleven brothers for a four-year term.
Currently, the “Cofradía del Vino de Rioja” is made up of some 230 active numeraries, of which 186, 76.85 percent, are men, and 44 women, 23 percent.
The Brotherhood is committed to organizing activities, such as tastings and tasting courses, that generate knowledge of wine in society; and for instilling smart wine consumption in young people.
Address: Horno street, 1. 26001
Telephone: +34 941 250 852
Email: cofradia@cofradiadelvinoderioja.es
Web: www.cofradiadelvinoderioja.com
Opening hours: Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
