Departures of note

Óscar Tobía was a Spanish winemaker from San Asensio in La Rioja. After studying agricultural engineering and earning a master's degree in viticulture and enology, he began making wine in his father's grower cellar before founding his own winery. In 1994 he launched Bodegas Tobía, building it on innovation and creativity, starting in the family facilities in San Asensio and later moving to Cuzcurrita de Río Tirón to expand production and meet demand from more than 30 countries. He produced Alma Tobía, the first rosé fermented in barrel in Spain in 1996, and was a pioneer in Europe in using environmentally friendly smart tanks to obtain wines of maximum expression and quality. His entrepreneurial work was recognized with the Internationalization Award from the Chamber of Commerce of La Rioja in 2002.