Sommelier Circle

Rioja

7/13/2024

Rioja in Northern Spain is best known for berry-scented, barrel-aged red wines made from Tempranillo and Garnacha. It is arguably Spain's top wine region, and certainly the most famous, rivaled only by Jerez. The vineyards trace the course of the Ebro River for roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) between the towns of Haro and Alfaro.

Wine-Searcher editorial

Last updated 04-Jul-2024

Vineyard landscape near Briones, Rioja Alta with the Sierra de Cantabria in the background. These mountains protect the region from weather coming from the north Atlantic | © Marisa Estivill / shutterstock.com

Other than Tempranillo and Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan) are also used in red Rioja wines. A few wineries, notably Marqués de Riscal, use small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon. White grapes are much less widely planted.

In 2017 vineyard area was recorded at 64,215 hectares (158,679 acres). 91 percent is planted to red grape varieties. Certified production of wine exceeded 250 million liters (66 million US Gallons).

A history of wine production in Rioja

Rioja was the very first Spanish region to be awarded DO status, back in 1933. In 1991, it became the first to be upgraded to the top-level DOCa (see Spanish Wine Labels). The region's winemaking history stretches back to Roman times and has continued almost unbroken ever since.

Production flourished between 200 BC and the 6th Century AD. This is shown by wine-related archaeological finds such as amphorae. The practice slowed during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula from the invasion of 711 AD until the late Middle Ages.

From the 16th Century onwards, Rioja's wine production developed steadily. It enjoyed a major boost in the late 19th Century, when the vineyards of neighboring France (Europe's dominant wine nation) were devastated first by mildew, and then by phylloxera. During this time, wine merchants arrived in Rioja from Bordeaux, seeking new wine supplies.

This French connection sparked Rioja's long-standing love affair with oak barriques – by that point standard Bordeaux winemaking equipment. Pronounced oak aromas and flavors are a quintessential component in the Rioja wine style (both red and white) to this day.

In 1901, the devastating phylloxera mite finally arrived in Rioja, plunging the region's vineyards into decline. It was not until the 1970s that fresh life was breathed back into the industry, with some foreign help.

White wines and other styles

Rioja Blanco typically accounts for 7 to 8 percent of annual production. The category is often obscured by the volume and success of the red wines.

The region's top white-wine grape was once Malvasia, which was used to create flavorful, high-alcohol wines, often with significant oak influence. Today, the emphasis has shifted to Viura (aka Macabeo), and the ubiquitous Chardonnay, to give a slightly lighter, fresher and more international white-wine style.

Popular Viura(Macabeo) wines available on Wine-Searcher

R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco

Rioja DOCa, Spain

$541

93 / 100

Remirez de Ganuza 'Olagar' Gran Reserva

Rioja DOCa, Spain

$107

95 / 100

Bodegas Palacios Remondo 'Placet Valtomelloso'

Rioja DOCa, Spain

$40

92 / 100

Marques de Murrieta 'Capellania' Reserva

Rioja DOCa, Spain

$83

92 / 100

Bodegas Mitarte 'Entrepenas' Blanco

Rioja DOCa, Spain

$18

88 / 100

R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia 'Vina Gravonia' Crianza Blanco

Rioja DOCa, Spain

$50

93 / 100

Also authorized for use in white Rioja are Garnacha Blanca, Tempranillo Blanco, Maturana Blanca, Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc. The debate continues whether to emphasize international grape varieties, or focus on Viura as a point of difference. Rosado wines make up about five percent of sales, but global popularity of rosé wines means output is on the increase.

Although the Rioja's vineyards focus very strongly on producing wines in the regional style, and for sale under the Rioja DO appellation title, other styles of wine are also produced here. The most notable of these, and perhaps the most unexpected, are sparkling wines – not something with which Rioja is often associated. However, certain parts of the region are officially authorized to produce Cava.

A few dessert wines are also produced on a commercial scale from both red and white grape varieties. These hark back to traditional wines called supurados, dried in lofts over the winter.

Geography

The Rioja wine region is contained mostly within the La Rioja administrative region, through which the Rio Oja river flows. However, its northernmost vineyards are sited in neighboring Navarra and Pais Vasco (Basque Country). The region is demarcated less by political and administrative boundaries and more by geographical features. Chief among these are the Ebro and foothills of the Sierra de la Demanda and Sierra de Cantabria mountain ranges.

©Jlecuopna/www.shutterstock.com | The Cantabrian Mountains form the western boundary of the Pais Vasco wine region

The Cantabrian Mountains, which flank Rioja to the north and west, provide shelter from cold, wet influences of the Atlantic Ocean. This is a significant factor in the local climate, which is significantly warmer and drier than that just to the north. The region's soils vary from place to place, with the finest containing high levels of limestone.

Subregions

Rioja Alta

Rioja Alta is the western portion of Rioja. As the name suggests the vineyards are sited at higher altitudes than what was formerly Rioja Baja. Soils have more clay, iron and alluvial elements and less limestone than neighboring Alavesa. The wines tend to be regarded as elegant with balanced acidity.

Rioja Alta vineyards with San Vicente de la Sonsierra at top right | ©Alberto Loyo / www.shutterstock.com

Rioja Alavesa

Rioja Alavesa consists of two separate enclaves of land adjoining Rioja Alta. Though they both lie within the Rioja DOCa zone, they are not within La Rioja, but instead the Basque province of Alava. Vineyards are sited at similar altitudes to Rioja Alta, and the macroclimate is similar. Soils tend to have more limestone than in Rioja Alta, and the wines can show more acidity.

The town of Labastida in Rioja Alavesa, with vineyards in the distance | ©Jaime Espinosa / www.shutterstock.com

Rioja Oriental

Rioja Oriental (formerly Rioja Baja) is the eastern section of the Rioja zone. The climate here is much more heavily influenced by the Mediterranean. Dryer and warmer than the other two regions, there is more emphasis on Garnacha here. Wines can be markedly fuller in body than those from the other subregions. Most of the region lies south of the Ebro within La Rioja. However, in the Oriental zone, Rioja DOCa vineyards north of the river actually fall within the political boundaries of Navarra.

©De BigSus/commons.wikimedia.org | Castillo de Davalillo, Rioja, Spain

Aging categories

Rioja's traditional classification system for aging (with quality implied) has influenced other Spanish regions. The words Crianza and Reserva occasionally appear on South American bottles though no legal framework has been adopted.

This emphasis on aging can be explained by the lack of vineyard holdings on the part of early Rioja wineries. Thus they placed focus on winery operations to promote the quality of their product.

All top-end red Rioja is matured in new oak barrels. American oak has been the preference historically, but many wineries now use a mix of American and French oak. American oak maturation is what gives more traditional Rioja red wines their distinctive notes of coconut, vanilla and sweet spice. The amount of time that a Rioja wine spends in barrel dictates which of the official Rioja aging categories goes on the label: Joven, Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva.

Joven

Rioja Joven wines are intended for consumption within two years of vintage. They spend little or no time in oak – jóven is Spanish for "young". This category may also include wines which have undergone aging, but for some other reason do not gain certifications for the higher categories. Many modern juicy, everyday reds fit into this category. Some of these are made using a variant of carbonic maceration.

Crianza

Crianza red wines are aged for at least one year in oak, and one year in bottle. They are released in the third year. White Crianza wines must also be aged for two years but only six months needs to be in casks.

Reserva

Reserva red wines spend a minimum of one year in oak. They cannot be sent to market until a full three years after vintage. The white Reserva wines need only spend six months of the three years in casks.

Gran Reserva

Gran Reserva red wines undergo a total of five years' aging with at least two years spent in barrel. The white counterparts must age for at least four years, with a minimum of 12 months in casks.

Rules for rosado wines are the same as those for whites. However, non-Joven rosado wines are even less common than the blanco versions. One notable example is the onion skin-colored Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Rosado.

Many wineries now produce a super-premium wine aged entirely in French oak, in a more modern, and arguably international style. Because these wines are often the most expensive in the portfolio, but may only qualify as Crianza or Reserva, they are seldom marketed with any emphasis on the aging classification.

New site-based classifications

In 2018 the Consejo Regulador (governing body) introduced three geographic categories. These can be implemented from the 2017 vintage onwards.

Producers may now, if they meet strict rules, produce single-vineyard wines under the Viñedo Singular banner. Vines must be hand-picked and at least 35 years old. Yields are set low and a tasting evaluation must be passed. If the fruit is not from an estate-owned site, then the winery has to have a ten-year history of buying grapes from the vineyard.

Bottles may now also be labeled with the name of a village, as a Vino Municipio. However the winery has to be situated within the village boundaries, as well as the vines. Vinos de Zona may be labeled with one of the three sub-zones mentioned above.