Our search for a more traditional style of Rioja at a fantastic price took us to see Raimundo Abando of Bodegas Las Orcas. Gentle giant Rai used to compete in triathlons at international level, but now puts all his energy into producing and ageing some very elegant Rioja. He is the 3rd generation of winemakers in his family, dating back to 1900. In 2000, investment was made to modernise the bodega. Most of the production is Tempranillo. The Rioja Alavesa is sheltered from the hotter conditions lower down the Ebro valley by the Cantabrian Mountains,enabling wines with higher acidity, lower alcohol and more freshness to be made. One of the reasons we were so taken with Las Orcas was that they have stocks of some older mature wines which represented great value for their quality. And there is plenty of life in them yet!