Vega Sicilia has a much older reputation then since the Álvarez family bought the estate in 1982. The winery has been established in 1864 by Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves in the region of Ribera del Duero DO in the Province of Valladolid, Castile and León which is in northern Spain. He brought grape varieties from Bordeaux to his estate next to Tinto Fino (aka Tempranillo) which still makes the majority of the plantings. In minority is it mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec but there is a tiny amount of the old-vine white Albillo as well.

The name Vega Sicilia has appeared in Spanish documents that existed long before the winery was founded however the origin of the name is currently unknown. Vega Sicilia has no connection to the island of Sicily or the wines of that region. The word Vega refers to the green vegetation that grows along the riverbank of the Duero while Sicilia refers to Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians, after whom several villages in Castile and León is named after. There are no written records on why Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves chose Vega Sicilia as his winery’s name.