The Fall and Rise of Banda Azul
The bodega Federica Paternina is one of the oldest in Rioja, although this does not explain why it has had more owners than probably any other in Spain. Situated in Haro, wine-making started in 1896 and, with a production of fifty million litres annually, it is one of the ‘grandes’ of the region.
When I was importing wine into Britain during the late-60s/early-70s, there were really very few dependable producers who could be relied upon to supply a wine with an unvarying quality. Spanish vintage years, as quoted on the labels, used to be something of a joke and it was quite normal to come across a ‘Gran Reserva 1928’ for example, which clearly was nothing of the sort. At best it may have been 15 years old.
However the proud wine-maker may have, in fact, made a remarkable wine back in 1928, so to them it was the most natural thing in the world to continue calling subsequent vintages of what they considered an equivalent quality ‘1928’. To be charitable this was not with intent to deceive – but rather a nostalgic gesture!
Federica Paternina’s wines were always steady, reliable and, although never the greatest, they were above all dependable. Banda Azul is the low to medium priced red – which for decades was the flagship wine of the bodega. It was famous not only throughout Spain, but in practically every export market, including the USA. Order a bottle of Banda Azul and you would never be let down. Then, along came Ruiz Mateos.
It would take a book to relate the RUMASA story in detail and for the purposes of this short essay there is no need. Suffice it to say, that through one of the hundreds of financial manipulations (which enabled Ruiz Mateos to acquire business across the width and breadth of Spain) the Paternina bodega fell vitim to a manipulation of paper.
Well, whether the new owners put in managers who did not understand how to make wine, or whether there were ulterior motives is still not clear but Banda Azul took a nose dive in a very short time. It became almost a joke, as the drinking public simply stopped buying it. Huge stocks built up in the bodega and only the fact that the other wines from the same producer (Banda Oro, Viña Vial, Conde de los Andes and Paternina Gran Reserva) were not affected, saved a financial melt-down.
Once a wine has lost its reputation it is the hardest thing in the world to get it back. At last, nearly thirty years later, this has been achieved. Banda Azul is alive and well and living on most supermarket shelves. It is, as I always remember it: nothing to shout about, but excellent value for money and with a label which has not changed in all these years. In fact, for the price you can do a lot worse. Paternina is one of Rioja’s great names and has always been motivated by a genuine desire to produce a quality product at a fair price is exemplified in Banda Azul.
