Four Stripes Winery

1935 FOUNDATION OF THE 'COOPERATIVE WINERY OF LA SECA'

In a Spain immersed in the uncertainty of political instability that would lead just one year later to a Civil War, the wine-growing families who had their vineyards around the small town of La Seca in Valladolid – encouraged by the town doctor, Fermín Bedoya – decided to group together and form a cooperative that would allow them to get the most out of their work in the vineyards. The concept was simple: together, they would not only be bigger, but much stronger.

1938 FOUNDING YEAR

Only 3 years later, the partners decided to take the wine to the winery for the first time and put it in large vats. They chose the best one they had with a clear objective: to make it aged communally and in everyone's home; with this vintage they would officially establish themselves as 'Bodega Cooperativa de La Seca' in July 1939.

1944 SIGNING OF THE STATUTES OF 'AGRÍCOLA CASTELLANA'

Less than a decade after its founding, the cooperative changed its name to 'Agrícola Castellana' and defined its purposes and the responsibilities of the members of its Governing Board in statutes signed in La Seca in December 1944. Among other requirements, those who wanted to join as new cooperators had to 'be presented by two partners and contribute at least 500 vines'.

1950 FIRST COMMERCIAL BRAND 'FINO 61'

The 1950s saw the birth of the cooperative winery's first commercial brand. Under the name 'Fino 61', solera wine, the traditional wine produced in the area, was bottled and marketed. The story behind this name is, to say the least, curious: during the winery's first years it was said that of all the vats filled with wine, number 61 was the best of all, so this vat would end up christening the house's first brand.

1960 THE 'FOUR LINES PAYMENT'

The current name of our winery is due to a plot of land which in the 1950s and 1960s was said to have the best vineyards of the cooperative and where four municipal districts met: La Seca, Rodilana, Medina del Campo and Rueda. The 'Pago de las Cuatro Rayas' is still owned by a member of the cooperative winery and currently grows Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc vines.

1971 CÉSAR PRIETO JOINS AS MANAGING DIRECTOR

The 1970s witnessed the professionalisation and modernisation of the winery, which brought César Prieto to the head of management tasks. Prieto was to take over the management for 37 years, during which he made a firm and active commitment to promoting the wine sector and recognising the quality of the winery's wines. In addition to his management tasks at Cuatro Rayas, he was the drafter of the first regulations and president of the regulatory council of the DO Rueda between 1992 and 2000.

1975 ÁNGEL CALLEJA ASSUMES THE TECHNICAL DIRECTION

Ángel Calleja, one of the first generation of winemakers from the Escuela de la Vid de Madrid, joined the winery as technical director in the mid-1970s, a position to which he devoted himself body and soul for more than 40 years. With him, the winery undertook different stages of transformation, process control and technical adaptations that boosted Cuatro Rayas production in a quantitative and qualitative manner.

1975 BIRTH OF THE RUEDA DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN

The first Regulation of the DOP 'Rueda' and its Regulatory Council was approved in January 1980, being the first Designation of Origin recognized in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León. The wines of 'Agrícola Castellana' were able to join this new body from the very beginning, thus recognizing their quality and the exceptional characteristics of the vineyards of their cooperative members.

1988 AMADOR DIEZ ASSUMES THE PRESIDENCY OF THE COOPERATIVE

Amador Diez de Íscar will hold the position of president of Agrícola Castellana for 21 years. During this period he will carry out his duties with three essential objectives: to professionalise and protect the employment of the cooperative winegrowing partners, to optimise the quality of the winery's products and to promote the wines of the DO Rueda, whose Regulatory Council he will preside over in 2006. His figure is essential to understanding the process of expansion and internationalisation of the winery during the 1990s and later.

1990 MECHANIZED NIGHT HARVESTING

The last decade of the 20th century brought with it technical innovations that would mark a turning point in the production of white wines. The winery incorporated these advances into its harvesting processes with the implementation of specialised machinery for mechanical grape harvesting, a technique that ensures rapid harvesting and that the grapes enter the wine presses in optimal conditions. In addition, it was decided to carry out these processes at night, when the grapes are subjected to thermal contrasts that preserve and enhance the aromas and properties of the harvested varieties.

2000 – INNOVATION AND GROWTH

The energy brought by the change of decade, century and millennium led the winery to grow and become more professional in a substantial way. The growth in sales figures for bottled wines is particularly significant, going from around 2 million bottles at the beginning of the decade to 10 million bottles in 2010. On the other hand, the workforce grew and the organisational structure of the winery became more diverse: these were the first beginnings of the current Commercial department, which incorporated specific technical personnel for Export, the Food channel and the Hospitality channel. The Purchasing department was also created at this time and in 2010 a second bottling line was implemented in response to the exponential growth in demand for bottled products.

2010 – 75th ANNIVERSARY

The 75th birthday of the winery that was born as the 'Bodega Cooperativa de La Seca' is being celebrated in a very special way. 2010 is the year that the first vintage of 'Viñedos Centenarios' is released - a Verdejo from plots selected from among the oldest in the cooperative and which is now among the winery's most successful products - the year of the beginning of major sporting and cultural sponsorships - being chosen as the official white wine of SEMINCI and beginning to sponsor the Valladolid Handball Club - and it is also a year of great importance in the internationalisation of the Cuatro Rayas brand with its first arrival in the Chinese market or its presence at the Annual Gala of the Hispanic Society of New York. Among other commemorative events for the 75th anniversary, the winery's facilities host an event in honour of the history of the Cooperative, attended by more than 1,000 people, including guests and authorities. In addition, a delegation of representatives from the winery is received by the Prince of Asturias at the Zarzuela Palace, where a century-old Verdejo vine is planted as an official gift to the Royal Family.

2015 THE VERDEJO OF WHEEL IN THE WORLD

The last five years have seen one of the most dynamic periods of the cooperative winery. A commitment to innovation and technological development has been made, expanding the facilities with the construction of a second headquarters, also located in La Seca, which houses the bottling plant, the logistics section and modern spaces for administration, management and event organisation. In addition to reinforcing the positioning of the Cuatro Rayas brand as a reference in the Rueda white wine sector both nationally and internationally, the product portfolio has been significantly expanded and diversified with the launch of the winery's first red wines under the DO Ribera del Duero. The winery's first vermouths have also been created - made from Verdejo and Tempranillo -, as well as frizzantes and a new category of premium wines with which it seeks excellence and differentiation in the sector. Bodega Cuatro Rayas supports Real Valladolid CF in its promotion to the First Division, stars in pairings at the National Pinchos and Tapas Competition and toasts the winners of the Miguel Delibes National Journalism Award. Awards and recognitions are collected in national and international oenological prescription publications and Ángel Calleja's 40th harvest at the head of the production is celebrated with the birth of an exclusive range for hospitality and specialized trade.

2019 BODEGA CUATRO RAYAS, GREEN & SOCIAL WINE AND OPENING OF NEW LOGISTICS CENTER

The last year has been a key year in the history of our winery at all levels. Almost 80 years after the birth of our cooperative, we changed the name of our company from 'Agrícola Castellana' to 'Bodega Cuatro Rayas' and renewed our statutes. We launched our new online store and implemented an application as a communication channel with our partners and employees. We implemented an Equality Plan to guarantee equal opportunities between all our workers and cooperative members and sealed our commitment to social and environmental sustainability with the launch of our own 'green & social' seal, which covers our actions in the field of preserving the natural environment and energizing the rural population.

Furthermore, on May 5, 2019, we inaugurated the new facilities that bear the name of Amador Diez, president whose work and imprint for two decades (1989-2009) was fundamental in the future of the current Cuatro Rayas Winery.

2020 #EVERYTHINGWILLBEFINE

In a year that will go down in history for the arrival of an unprecedented international health crisis, Cuatro Rayas is facing the COVID-19 pandemic by demonstrating an enormous capacity to adapt to adversity. The Governing Council of the Cooperative makes the decision to waive the application of an ERTE to the staff and preserves the jobs of the winery workers, who adapt their daily tasks by putting into practice teleworking and social distancing formulas to keep production, distribution and sales active. A notable effort is made to promote and facilitate the arrival of the product to end customers through food chains and direct online sales, ensuring that consumers confined to their homes have access to their Cuatro Rayas products in a simple and effective way.

Furthermore, despite the economic and logistical difficulties resulting from the months of confinement, the winery's commitment to its cooperative partners is demonstrated by guaranteeing the collection of all grapes during the harvest period.