Spain · Rioja

Bodegas Covila

A grower-owned cooperative in Lapuebla de Labarca, Rioja Alavesa, making estate-fruit Tempranillo Crianza and a tropical-inflected Viura white from 250 hectares of member-owned vines.

The producer

Bodegas Covila is a micro-cooperative in Lapuebla de Labarca, a village at the heart of Rioja Alavesa on the north bank of the Ebro River. Founded in 1989 by local vine growers who chose to pool their family parcels rather than continue selling fruit to neighbouring bodegas, the cooperative farms roughly 250 hectares of estate vines and produces approximately 1.5 million bottles a year. The people who grow the grapes own the business. That is not a common arrangement in a region where large bodegas routinely source from outside growers, and it shapes every bottle in the range.

The core wines are a Tempranillo Crianza aged 12 months in American and French oak, deep-coloured with supple tannins and an acid line that keeps the fruit lively, and a Blanco Rioja blending 85% Viura with 10% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Malvasia, pale yellow with green hints and aromatics that lean toward pineapple and grapefruit rather than the neutral herbal register of traditional Rioja whites. Above these sits the Altos de Lapuebla premium label. The Crianza is the bottle to start with: straightforward, honest, and built for the table.

Known for

Rioja Alavesa Tempranillo Crianza from estate-grown cooperative vines

Notable facts

The story

The Growers Who Kept the Wine

In 1989, the vine growers of Lapuebla de Labarca had a practical problem: their fruit was good enough for Rioja but their names were not on any bottle. For years they had sold harvests to larger bodegas further along the valley, watched those bodegas bottle the wine, and received no credit for the parcels that produced it. That year, a group of them decided to stop. They registered a cooperative, combined their holdings into a single managed estate of 250 hectares, and began making wine in a shared cellar. The first Covila bottles carried no famous name, no classified vineyard, and no export pedigree. What they carried was fruit grown and vinified by the same people, something that, in a region where sourcing from outside growers was standard practice, was quietly unusual. The cooperative still operates on exactly that basis today.

From the atlas

Bodegas Covila

At A Glance

The Producer

Bodegas Covila is a grower-owned cooperative in Lapuebla de Labarca, a village at the geographical heart of Rioja Alavesa, sitting on the north bank of the Ebro River. The bodega was formed in 1989 when a group of local vine growers chose to pool their family parcels into a shared enterprise rather than continue selling fruit to neighbouring bodegas. That decision is still the organizing principle of the business: the people who farm the 250 hectares also own the cooperative.

The scale is real. At roughly 1.5 million bottles a year, Covila is a mid-volume producer by Rioja standards, yet it describes its philosophy as "wine made from our own hands and our own grapes." That is not marketing shorthand.

The portfolio divides into two tiers: the main Covila label, anchored by a Tempranillo Crianza and a Viura-dominant white, and Altos de Lapuebla, the premium sub-brand.

Place

Rioja Alavesa is the smallest and most northerly of the three Rioja subzones, sheltered from Atlantic rain by the Cantabrian mountains to the north and warmed by Mediterranean air pushing up the Ebro valley from the east. Lapuebla de Labarca sits on the river's north bank, where the valley floor meets the limestone and clay slopes that typify the subzone.

The subzone's geography pulls Tempranillo toward freshness rather than weight. Cooler nights, higher altitude parcels, and clay-rich soils slow ripening and preserve acidity, which is why Rioja Alavesa Crianza tends to carry more lift and earlier approachability than Rioja Alta or Rioja Oriental equivalents aged for the same period.

Soil And Site

The 250 hectares farmed by Covila's member growers spread across the Rioja Alavesa plateau above Lapuebla de Labarca. The dominant soils in this part of the subzone are calcareous clay, which drains reasonably well while retaining enough moisture to keep vines from stressing in dry summers. Limestone-rich subsoils contribute to the firm acidity that distinguishes Alavesa Tempranillo from warmer-grown equivalents. The white grape parcels, planted to Viura with smaller plots of Sauvignon Blanc and Malvasia, benefit from the same cooling effect: Viura holds its natural freshness better here than in hotter corners of the appellation.

Story

In 1989, Lapuebla de Labarca's vine growers faced a choice that was common across rural Rioja at the time: continue as grape suppliers to larger bodegas, or take control of the winemaking themselves. The growers chose the second path, registering Bodegas Covila Soc. Coop. Vinícola Lapuebla de Labarca and consolidating their parcels into a single managed estate.

The cooperative model changed what the fruit became. Grapes that had previously left the village as raw material now stayed, were vinified in a shared cellar, and left as finished bottles carrying the Covila name. Over three decades, the range expanded from a single Crianza to include a white wine and the Altos de Lapuebla premium tier, but the cooperative still uses member-owned parcels for its wines: no bought-in fruit, no outside sourcing, all bottles traced to member-owned parcels in Rioja Alavesa.

Vineyards And Cellar

The 250 hectares are farmed by the member growers who own them, with yields and practices aligned to the cooperative's quality standards. Tempranillo dominates the red holdings, as it does across Rioja Alavesa, and is the sole grape in the Crianza. The Crianza spends 12 months in a combination of American and French oak barrels before bottling, which is the minimum for Crianza classification in Rioja. American oak contributes a vanilla and coconut note; French oak adds a tighter, spicier layer. Twelve months at this level of combined wood keeps the oak present but not dominant, allowing the Tempranillo fruit to read clearly.

The white parcels contribute Viura as the base, with smaller plantings of Sauvignon Blanc and Malvasia providing aromatic complexity. The Blanco is bottled without oak ageing, preserving the fresh, fruity character of the Viura and the tropical lift from the Sauvignon Blanc contribution.

Wines

The Covila range runs across two named tiers with distinct characters.

Covila Crianza is 100% Tempranillo, aged 12 months in American and French oak. It carries deep colour, supple tannins that round quickly in bottle, and the balanced acidity that marks Rioja Alavesa fruit. The oak adds vanilla and spice while the red fruit remains prominent. It drinks well from release and holds comfortably for three to five years.

Covila Blanco Rioja is 85% Viura, 10% Sauvignon Blanc, and 5% Malvasia. The Viura provides the pale, greenish-yellow colour and the mild herbal and citrus framework. The Sauvignon Blanc pushes the aromatics toward pineapple and grapefruit in a way that most Rioja whites do not reach. The Malvasia adds a faint floral note and a slight bitter edge on the finish. The palate is fresh and fruity, with citrus and herbal undertones running through the mid-palate and a clean, slightly bitter close.

Altos de Lapuebla is the premium label. Composition and ageing details for specific wines in this tier are not publicly confirmed.

In The Glass

The Crianza opens with red cherry, dried plum, and a light vanilla note from the American oak. On the palate, the mid-weight body carries a core of ripe Tempranillo fruit, tannins that grip gently without hardness, and an acid line that keeps the wine from feeling heavy. The French oak adds a faint spice in the background. The finish is clean and of medium length, with the fruit outlasting the wood.

The Blanco is the livelier wine. It pours pale with green flashes and releases pineapple and grapefruit immediately. The Viura's herbal and citrus character grounds the tropics of the Sauvignon Blanc, and the Malvasia's mild bitterness on the finish gives the wine a dry, food-friendly edge. The palate is light-bodied and mouth-watering, with acidity doing most of the work to keep the wine feeling focused.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with the Covila Crianza. It is 100% Tempranillo from Rioja Alavesa parcels, aged 12 months in American and French oak, and it carries everything the cooperative does in a single affordable bottle: estate fruit, a clear varietal character, and oak used as a seasoning rather than a principal flavour. The tannins are supple, the acidity is firm without being sharp, and the red fruit is upfront from the first glass. It does not ask for decanting or long cellaring. Open it with lamb, roast pork, or a plate of aged Manchego and it earns its place at the table immediately.

Anecdote

In 1989, the vine growers of Lapuebla de Labarca had a practical problem: their fruit was good enough for Rioja but their names were not on any bottle. For years they had sold harvests to larger bodegas further along the valley, watched those bodegas bottle the wine, and received no credit for the parcels that produced it. That year, a group of them decided to stop. They registered a cooperative, combined their holdings into a single managed estate of 250 hectares, and began making wine in a shared cellar. The first Covila bottles carried no famous name, no classified vineyard, and no export pedigree. What they carried was fruit grown and vinified by the same people, something that, in a region where sourcing from outside growers was standard practice, was quietly unusual. The cooperative still operates on exactly that basis today.

Final Word

Bodegas Covila is a straightforward proposition: a grower-owned cooperative in Rioja Alavesa making honest, fresh-fruited wine from 250 hectares of estate vines. The Crianza is the bottle to start with, and the Blanco is the more unexpected one. Neither wine reaches for complexity it does not have, and neither needs to.

Sources

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