Like many Spanish vineyards, Rioja has a complex history veiled in obscurity. Modern wines only date to the beginning of the nineteenth century.
The decade of 1870-80 was a dynamic era where the red wines of Rioja really took off. Inaccessibility of distributing the wine had always been a problem, but the new railway systems helped to revolutionize the wine industry.
Currently there's a renaissance going on in Rioja; a new wine is coming to fruition which is bolder, bigger, and more concentrated than before. Wineries partaking of the new tradition include, but are not limited too:
- Allende
- Remeluri
- Palacios
- Remondo
- Remirex de Ganuza
Grapes Used in Rioja Wines
The majority of grape varietals used are the Tempranillo and Garnacha:
Tempranillo – A native grape of Spain which gives very powerful yet balanced and subtle wines with a fruity nose and taste. Great fragrance and aging potential.
Garnacha – Grenache in Francaise, it is also a native grape of Spain producing strong, full-bodied, and fruity wines. The grape was brought to France from Spain during the 1300's (during the time of the popes of Avignon).
Reading the Rioja Label
Rioja wines are blended with the Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes to give them their distinctive regional flavor, but don't get caught up in grape varietal readings as you would in France. All you need to know when buying a Rioja red wine is that there is a positive correlation between aging and price, and the reputation of the winemaker/shipper is a good guide when assessing wine quality.
Various price levels of Rioja wine:
Crianza ($) – Two years of aging, with a minimum of one year in oak barrels.
Reserva ($$) – Three years of aging, with a minimum of one year in oak barrels.
Gran Reserva ($$$$) – Five to seven years of aging, with a minimum of two years in oak barrels.
Greatest Quality Wines
- Rioja Aurus 2002 from Finca Allende 2003
- Rioja Cirsión 2003 from Roda
- Rioja Dalmau 2001 from Marqués de Murrieta
- Rioja La Viña de Andres Romeo 2003 from Benjamin Romeo
- Rioja 2002 from Señorio de San Vincente
- Rioja Transnocho 2002 from Fernando Femirez de Ganuza
Best Bets for Excellence in the Rioja Vintage: 1996, 2001, 2003, and 2004.
Rioja is currently exported all over the world. The largest export market is the United Kingdom, followed by Germany. Sales in the United Kingdom are rising, while in Germany they are going down and are directed towards the cheaper end of the market.
If you're interested in discovering other great red wines – check out these resources to read a review of Mas des Chimères, or an article about Italian red wines.
Further Reading:
Jeffs, J. (2006). The Wines of Spain. Great Britain: Octopus Publishing Group
