Don Juan Otero Colino first entered the world of wine in 1906, starting up a small-scale business in the town of Benavente, Spain. Since then we, the Otero family, have adopted to change. We have catered to the preferences of our customers regarding their tastes and habits and have adapted to the technology necessary to create the finest wine possible.

In 1911 Otero opened a store where our winery now stands. He sold various imported products, but wine was always the featured item of the store. He made use of his small winery that could produce up to 40,000 litres of wine. An infestation of phylloxera had previously ruined many of the vineyards in the area and wine was in high demand.

Time passed and D. Juan’s son, Manuel Otero, inherited the family business. He decided to launch a project, forgotten years before, to expand the winery so that it could accommodate the increasing productivity of the region.

In 1950 Manuel began to hollow out what is now our wine cellar. First 30 concrete tanks were constructed with a capacity of 300,000 litres. The work progressed slowly because the workers were faced with a subsoil of sand and gravel, instead of one of clay traditionally found in the region. The excavation was carried out manually with shovels and picks, large metal baskets, lathes and pulleys. The workers broke up the cement on site with shovels and rakes and used the same sand that had been removed to create the cellar.

After much effort, the 1952 vintage was distributed, but it was the 1953 vintage that marked the beginning of a new phase for the Otero family.

The renovations continued, allowing for the expansion and modernization of the winery. In 1963 additional land was purchased so that our winery could be independent from other stores and we started to bottle wine. On July 25, 1965 our business became incorporated and took on the name of BODEGAS OTERO; S.A.

Currently our winery occupies a total of 5,500 square meters (or 17,435 ft.). The business has been passed down through three generations and counting. We have been able to create high-quality wine with the collaboration of over 300 grape cultivators who, year after year, not only supply grapes, but also make personal and economic sacrifices, striving for a future in which quality will prevail.

After so many modifications, it is as if the winery was a huge puzzle whose pieces have been placed together over the past 50 years. A work that sprung from a small wine cellar founded at the beginning of the 20th century, our winery’s history gives it a unique style that is enchanting to all who visit.