Pago de Carraovejas is origin. Starting with its first nine hectares, this project soon became a dream of becoming a benchmark wine cellar in the heart of the Ribera del Duero. It all began over three decades ago, when Pago de Carraovejas was founded in response to a dream by José María Ruiz to create a great wine in one of the areas that had the greatest potential at that time.

José María’s history in the world of wine had already begun several years before, in 1971, when he appeared as a representative of Spain at the ‘First Global Contest for Sommeliers’ held in Milan. That experience was the seed which was the beginning of his desire to open his own restaurant and make his own wines. While still fully engaged in the world of catering since the opening of the renowned Restaurante José María in Segovia in 1982, he remained determined to launch his project for a small wine cellar that would produce wines of the finest quality for his restaurant.

This is how the history of Pago de Carraovejas began when in 1987 he opened the wine cellar in Peñafiel, specifically in the Carraovejas hillsides. The location of these first nine hectares, chosen because they were a major historical centre for Ribera del Duero wines and in one of the areas with the greatest potential for Spanish wines because of their location, the soil and the climate. This was the start of a project that has already produced more than thirty vintages.

The first vintage, in 1991, from only about 70,000 kilos of grapes from the first 25 hectares under production, is the origin of Pago de Carraovejas.