Rioja is the Spanish Denomination of Origin best known worldwide for the quality of its wines. The DO was founded in 1925, making it the oldest in the country. However, like Spain itself, it has demonstrated its strength to survive difficulties. The problems began in 1901 when phylloxera arrived in this northern area of the peninsula, killing a large part of its vineyards and causing the region to lose its main markets, including France which was recovering from the same plague. Its production was also affected by the world war conflicts—World War I and II—and, especially, by the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939. From the beginning of the twentieth century until the sixties and seventies, Rioja, like many other places in Spain, suffered considerably.
The name of the Qualified Denomination of Origin DOCa (one of only two wine-growing areas in Spain that has the quality of wines to be named DOCa) comes from the Oja River, a tributary of the Ebro River – one of the longest in Spain (910 km )– that crosses the DOCa and other areas.
Rioja is divided into three parts: Rioja Alavesa, Rioja Alta and Rioja Oriental, within a valley of about 120 kilometers, running from northwest to southeast and that includes a range of climates and soils that differentiate these areas. Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta are influenced by the climate of northern Spain while Rioja Oriental, in the lower part, has a more Mediterranean climate with more heat and less rain.
Rioja Alavesa and Alta benefit from the climate and height of the Sierra Cantabria mountain range. Its proximity to the sea brings fresh winds, and the altitude of about 300-460 meters offers a more temperate climate, providing essential acid to the grapes. This same mountain range protects the vineyards from the strong winds that collide with the other side of the mountains which protect the vineyards from the intense rains that hit the coast of northern Spain, saving Rioja from the dramatic climate of the coast. However, the Sierra Cantabria has also isolated Rioja, which is located in the interior part of the country, making it more difficult to get to know, causing only commercialization in local markets for centuries.
As we discussed earlier in Blog V Rioja benefited from the exchange with Bordeaux in the 1860s, when the phylloxera plague began to seriously affect wine production in France, thereby opening the opportunity to supply the French with grapes and wine. In turn, the Spanish learned to produce Bordeaux-style wine but with the distinctive qualities of Rioja. Since then, the way of characterizing the wine has been highlighted by the time it spends in barrel. This gave the names that we recognize today as Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, and since 2017, Sparkling wines classified as Generic, Reserve or Gran Añada.
Aging times
Aging: for red wine – a minimum of two years aging - one year in barrel, the rest in bottle. For Crianza white and rosé, a minimum of six months in barrel and a total of 18 months.
Reserva: for red wine, a minimum of 3 years aging must take place – at least one year in the barrel and two in the bottle; for whites and rosés a minimum of six months in barrel and a total of two years.
Gran Reserva: for red it must be aged for at least five years with a minimum of two in the barrel and two in the bottle. For a white or rosé it is four years in total, with a minimum of 6 months in barrel.
Sparkling wines: they can be generic with a minimum of 15 months of aging; Reserva has to spend 24 months in bottle and for Gran Añada it is a minimum of 36 months. All sparkling wines must be made in the Methode Tradicional manner and hand-harvested.
Riojan Barrels
In Rioja, we recognize the enormous importance of care in the winemaking process and high quality as a base, achieving complex and sometimes even ethereal wines. However, in the 90s, when interest in Ribera del Duero wines and their more concentrated style became popular, several Rioja producers changed their ways of making wine to get closer to the qualities of their competitors. From there, Rioja was divided into two styles: modern wines (Roda, Ostatu, and Muga, etc.) and traditional wines (Lopez de Heredia, CVNE, La Rioja Alta, etc.). In 2010, a third type of Rioja was born – focused more on terroir and using less oak to maintain freshness. This last group wants to recognize the wine for its terroir and not so much for the oenological practices.
Since 2012, there has been a strong push in Rioja to focus on the type of terroir for the quality that comes from its unique vineyards. These winemakers want to change the system of naming wine by its aging in favor of naming it by its terroir. Changes always take time, and they are not easy, but they are worth it. Between 2017 and February of this year, the wine could be named after the municipality, but the vineyard and winery had to be in the same town, much to the chagrin of many of the winemakers who have plots in several towns. But this year the Regulatory Council removed the use of Municipal Wine and approved the use of “Village Wine” as in “Village” level in Burgundy France (read more about the Burgundy nomenclature here: Blog VI ) but with 15% grapes from another town. Something that was not allowed before. Also, the nomenclature of “Vineyard in” can be used with the name of the town when the wine is 100% from said town. They are stages, but everything is going in the right direction to begin to distinguish the wines by their terroir and less by their aging requirements.
Rioja, with its long history of challenges, continues to show us its strong personality with its exquisite wines. Due to the freshness of the area, especially in Rioja Alta and Alavesa, some of these wines practically dance on the palate with their elegant and ripe tannins, their flavors of cherry, plum, leather and caramel. Because of the time it takes to make it and its complexity, Rioja is a wine to drink and enjoy slowly...and I hope that in each sip we can all receive a little of the Riojan strength.
