VINEYARD CULTIVATION

Prado del Rey is situated in the northeast of the province of Cádiz in the foothills of the Grazalema Mountain Range, at an altitude of between 300 and 500 metres above sea level.The best vine growing terrain in the Pajarete area is called locally “albero” and is very similar to the “abarizas” of the Jerez area. The climate is consistent and is characterized by abundant rainfall, mild temperatures, many hours of sunlight and practically no risk of winter frost. The Grazalema Mountain Range is an excellent protection from the dry Levante winds which affect farming so negatively, while at the same time provoking precipitaton from the humid Poniente winds off the Atlantic.
 
It is thanks to these excellent conditions that several varieties are cultivated in small,well-cared for holdings within the pollution-free environment of the Grazalema National Park, namely Tempranillo, Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Moscatel. All vineyard work and harvesting is done by hand.
 

 
  THE WINERY  (BODEGA)

Bodegas Rivero is situated on the outskirts of Prado del Rey, a small town which forms a part of the Ruta de los Pueblos Blancos (the Route of the White Villages) in the Cádiz mountains. It was founded during the reign of Carlos III, around 1765, although archaeological remains testify to a much older human presence in the area, namely Iberians, Phoenicians, Romans and Moors.
It was to honour this legacy that the bodega chose the names” Fabia” and “Fabio Montano”, both present on a Roman burial stone found at the nearby ruins of Iptucci, and which can now be seen at the base of the local church tower.
 



Bodegas Rivero has been producing wines constantly since the end of the XIX century, especially white Pajarete or “mosto” as it is popularly known. In 1982, Salvador Rivero, biologist and oenologist, left his job in a well-known international wine company to take on the development of the small, family-owned bodega, and the first bottled wine in its history. Nowadays, however, the variety of wines has been widened and includes a well defined red wine similar to those produced before the phylloxera epidemic of the XIX century.
The traditonal bodega to be found within the village was replaced in 1982 by a modern building near the town, where up-to-date technology is combined with tradition passed down through the generations. The philosophy of quality over quantity prevails in this modest winery.