Located in the Alavesa region of Rioja, Bodegas Faustino has been family owned and run for 150 years since it was bought by founding father Eleuterio Mertinez Arzok in 1861.
The Faustino legacy was started with the purchase of a manor house and adjoining vineyards in the Rioja municipality of Oyón where wine was made and sold directly from the barrel.
Shortly after, the estate like many others across Europe, was struck by the phylloxera epidemic that caused widespread destruction to the vineyards. Mass up-rooting of vines to remove the disease took place but with the help of his son Faustino Martinez Perez de Albeniz the vineyards were reconstructed, and the winery modernised, including the introduction of bottling their own wine for the first time.
The company continued to grow, with early bottlings have the names of the vineyards on including Campillo, Santana, Famar and Viña Parrita. In 1957 the third generation took over, and under the leadership of Julio Faustino Martinez Faustino was launched as an international brand and cemented its position as one of the largest export firms for reserve and grand reserve wines.