Winery Profile: Protos, Ribera del Duero

Protos, steming from the Greek word "first," is the 42nd oldest wine and spirits brand in Europe. Beginning in 1927, Protos was the first cooperative in Ribera del Duero and is now in over 90 countries, producing 5.5 million bottles (450k cases) per year. As the company began to rapidly grow, expanding throughout the region was inevitable and they began construction on a wine-aging cellar in the heart of the mountain that holds up the Castle of Penafiel. In 1995 the wine cellar was enlarged to meet the demands of expanding Ribera winemaking and today, there is 2km of underground cellars that connect the old winery to the new one. As growth continues, the winery has updated its resources to state-of-the-art technology that can produce up to 3 million kilos of grapes.