Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez Tinto Pesquera was started in 1972 when Alejandro Fernandez set up his own commercial winery after years of making small amounts of wine for himself and his family. Fernandez is a Spanish Horatio Alger, having dropped out of school at age 14 to work in the fields. He spent decades working in such hands-on professions as carpentry, farming and machine making before turning his passion for winemaking into a business. Today the Tinto Pesquera estate includes nearly 500 acres of vineyards in the Pesquera del Duero region of Spain. Though there are several bottlings, all the estate’s wines are 100% Tempranillo. The estate’s wines win consistent compliments, and are considered some of the best Spanish offerings. Fernandez himself is a legend and is generally credited with having made the Ribera del Duero one of the world’s prestigious viticultural areas.