ensayos capitales
The Goal is exploration
Ensayos Capitales, the most fun, daring, and unorthodox line
Ephemeral wines that stand on the precipice of innovation, wines that are born and die with themselves, opening a thousand paths and shaping the most innovative line of our winery
The Ensayos Capitales project, driven by Queirón, does not stem from a mere commercial strategy or a passing winemaking trend, but from an eclectic pursuit: a wine can be a testament to what happens in a specific place, in a particular year, under unique and unrepeatable conditions—or not. It is a collection of wines that does not seek formal perfection but character; that does not repeat formulas but asks what a specific vineyard has to say when listened to with care. When we allow ourselves the luxury of exploring a variety, a new winemaking technique, or both at once.
RETHINKING WINE
Each of these essays represents an exploration. Sometimes it starts with an unconventional variety, other times with a soil, an altitude, or a technique we wish to challenge. Or perhaps a gastronomic tradition from our region. The goal is clear: to understand how a vineyard expresses itself when allowed to speak and engage freely. There is no imposed pattern, only a conscious reading of the environment. Thus, Ensayos Capitales is also a way of thinking about wine from a local, specific perspective, and, of course, from creativity and innovation.
NEW HORIZONS
Ensayos Capitales is based on a philosophy of balance between respect for Rioja’s legacy and the pursuit of new horizons. It is a challenge, a search, and a glimpse into the future from tradition and classicism. This project acts as a laboratory where meticulous viticulture and experimental winemaking converge to create authentic, memorable, unique, and unrepeatable wines. No two will ever be the same, but each one yields a conclusion, a step forward, and an idea that contributes knowledge to the crafting of other wines.
Pilars of
Ensayos Capitales
ORGANIC VITICULTURE
The wines come from our most unique vineyards in Quel (El Pozo, La Pasada, El Aniceto…), with poor soils and distinctive microclimates. The winery practices sustainable and organic viticulture, respecting natural cycles and prioritizing high-altitude vineyards and indigenous varieties.
EXPERIMENTAL WINEMAKING
It combines traditional techniques (such as the use of gravity, a hallmark of the Queirón winery as a tribute to the Historic Winery District of Quel) with innovative methods, such as the absence of sulfites, the use of clay amphorae and other vessels, or sun-drying, adapting ancestral practices to a modern context.
INDGENOUS RIOJA VARIETIES
It works with emblematic grapes such as Graciano, Garnacha, Tempranillo, and Tempranillo Blanco, among others, reinterpreting them to highlight their expressive potential. All are grown in Quel. The key is to recreate memory. We remain faithful to the past but never stop opening new doors. We’ve come to play!
Ensayos Capitales,
chapter by chapter
ENSAYOS CAPITALES nº1
Graciano withouth added sulfites (2018)
Graciano. An essay in viticulture with a minority indigenous variety from La Rioja. And also a winemaking essay, as no sulfites are added during vinification or in the vineyard. Simultaneous alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. A wine is also a challenge. A challenge, a search, a look toward the future from a classical and traditional stance. This was our first adventure.
ENSAYOS CAPITALES nº2
Lágrima en Tinaja (2019)
Tempranillo Blanco. Tempranillo Blanco and vinification in clay amphorae. A perfect outcome of winemaking work in which Queirón’s winemaker, Rubén Pérez Cuevas, delves into the depth of a Rioja variety discovered just twenty years ago due to a natural genetic mutation of red Tempranillo. A white wine made as if it were a red, a skin-contact wine. From this wine, Mi Lugar Blanco was born.
Ensayos Capitales
Nº3 Asoleao
Monovarietal high-altitude Tempranillo
The third chapter of Queirón’s Ensayos Capitales. After the sulfite-free Graciano and the Tempranillo Blanco in amphorae, we now use the ancestral technique of sun-drying grapes in the vineyard after harvest to achieve maximum sensory concentration in an entirely natural way. A deep, gastronomic wine that explores a novel technique in Rioja for dry wines.
ENSAYOS CAPITALES
Nºπ (Pi)
Graciano, garnacha and tempranillo (2022)
We embrace different ideas and stories, study them, recreate them, and let our imagination run free, sketching new proposals in the world of wine. One of the keys to this Essay is to rethink one of the most significant axioms or postulates in the history of winemaking: the ‘coupage’ (blend), reinterpreting it in our own way, attempting to deduce a new, nearly unprecedented winemaking formula from the Essay.
The search neve stops, beyond wine but for wine
Beyond winemaking, the Ensayos Capitales project invites us to think of wine as something tied to knowledge. It’s not just about technique but about understanding: the landscape, the climate, the behavior of the vine. Each wine is an interpretation. In this sense, Ensayos Capitales is also a form of dialogue between the grower, the winemaker, and the drinker. Each wine is an exercise in exploration, a reading of what happens in a specific place during a particular vintage. It doesn’t start with a recipe but with a question. This approach makes each wine an honest interpretation of the vineyard, without embellishments or impositions. Ensayos Capitales is built from singular plots, often in extreme conditions: unusual altitudes, poor soils, challenging orientations… It deliberately seeks the marginal, what doesn’t easily fit into standard production but holds an authenticity worth telling.
Rioja Oriental is redefining its role within the DOCa, and Ensayos Capitales is one of the projects leading this transformation, proving that this part of Rioja, particularly Quel and the Sierra de Yerga, has much to offer in terms of freshness, elegance, and diversity. Thus, Ensayos Capitales also defines its innovative vocation with a territorial sense.
Tasting sheet Ensayos Capitales Nº2
Tasting sheet Capitales NºPi
Why is ‘Ensayos Capitales’
different and distinctive?
Ensayos Capitales is not a fixed range but a collection of inimitable wines born from very specific conditions: unique plots, minority varieties, extreme altitudes. Each wine is unrepeatable, tied to its vintage, without an obsession for consistency. This gives the customer a unique, non-standardized experience.
It champions the territory: it highlights the authentic value of Rioja Oriental, and particularly Quel, showcasing its freshness, altitude, diversity, and aging potential. Ideal for wine lists that prioritize differentiation and storytelling. Each wine has its own well-grounded narrative.
The tasting notes for Ensayos Capitales not only describe flavors and aromas but serve as an extension of their narrative, explaining how the terroir, variety, and technique intertwine to create a unique experience. Each wine is an ephemeral story that reflects Queirón’s passion for experimenting, honoring tradition, and surprising the palate.
