he Bodega dates back to the second
half of the 19th century, when Francisco Javier Solano y Eulate,
the 'Marquis de la Solana' and owner of a large area of vineyards
in Villabuena, decided, on the advice of the famous oenologist
from Bordeaux, Msr. Pineau, to begin making and aging his
wines according to methods imported from Médoc and
to start selling them in bottles, after aging, under the label
'Marqués de la Solana'.
Following the enlargement of the bodega’s underground
‘calados’ or caves, the importation of the first
wine-making machinery and the introduction of oak casks from
Bordeaux, the wines started to win major awards such as the
silver medal at the Logroño Exhibition in 1898 and
the gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Barcelona in
1929.
On the death of the Marquis, his property was inherited by
his daughters, Mª Teresa and María Solano (grandmother
of the current owners), who changed the name of the bodega
to Bodegas de Crianza S.M.S. (the abbreviation of the family
surnames).
Nowadays, the bodega, which changed its name once again in
1996 to Viñedos y Bodegas de la Marquesa, continues
to be a family firm and is owned by Juan Pablo de Simón
and his brothers, while the next generation, Pablo and Jaime
de Simón (Juan Pablo’s sons) are preparing to
take over the running of the company in the future.