In Focus: Rioja, Spain

Rioja is quite the region. What started as an alternative for Bordeaux winemakers whose grapes had been ravaged by the vine pest phylloxera has now turned into a thriving wine community, heavy in sales both at home and abroad. Located in the Basque country of northern Spain, this tiny little region is at the forefront of all things wine related. Much like the whole of Spain, Rioja is in a state of revolution. Sales have gone up 150% in the last fifteen years. The traditional is giving way to the new and international. The old ways of long aging in new American oak is being replaced with shorter trips through French oak. Some of the true Spanish identity may be slipping away, but in its place we have a new style of wine: Fresh, fruity and altogether delicious.

This is not to say that the region just started making quality wine. Rioja has been producing wine for centuries, its importance to the region shown by the Mayor of Logroño who banned traffic next to the cellars in 1635 “for fear that the vibration from these vehicles might affect the juice and the aging of our precious wines.” Rioja gained great fame when after phylloxera destroyed the vines of France in the 1800s, Bordeaux winemakers came to Rioja looking for a place to make wine. They brought new ideas of blending and long maturation in small oak barrels. The results were wines that were pale red in color, oaky, heavy in notes of sweet vanilla and spice, and extraordinarily long-lived. In fact, to this day Spanish wines are often not released until they are fully mature, a date much later than their European counterparts.

Let’s start with the basics. Rioja is a small region that straddles the River Erbo in northern Spain. The weather varies greatly from one side to the other, but overall hot summers, and very cold, harsh winters are the norm. If it weren’t for the Sierra Cantabria, a rocky outcropping that protects Rioja from the winds of the Atlantic, grapes probably wouldn’t ripen at all. The two main grape varieties are Tempranillo for reds and Viura (also called Macabeo) for the whites. Both styles of wine are aged in oak barrels for an extended period of time.

Wines are classified by how long they are aged. Young or Sans Joven wines are very young or not aged in oak and are usually considered the lowest in quality. Crianza wines are sold in their third year after harvest, with one of those years spent in oak cask. Riserva wines are carefully selected wines at the very least three years old, with one of those years spent in oak cask.

Gran Riserva wines are only from a great vintage. They are not released until they have aged for two years in oak cask and an additional three years in bottle. As you can see with the Gran Riservas, it is common for a Spanish wine to be quite mature before it is released. This ensures that the tannins will be smooth and velvety, and overall the wine will be at or near its peak level of maturity.

There are three main wine growing areas of Rioja:

Rioja Alta

The western part of Rioja on the southern bank of the River Erbo. Soil types vary, but a higher percentage of heavy red clay exists. This clay is the best for wine production. Rioja Alta gets its name for its high elevation, with vineyards located all the way up to 2,600 feet. This is generally considered the best part of Rioja.

Rioja Alavesa

The area on the northern bank of the Erbo. The heavy red clay is found here as well, but it also mixed with white, chalky limestone. This is Basque country, where the wines are just as likely to be listed in Basque as Spanish.

Rioja Baja

The large and very hot eastern section of Rioja. The soil composition varies greatly, as can quality. This area is considered to be slightly inferior to its neighbors.

Now down to the goodies. The white wine of Rioja can be best described as a regional specialty. You have to be from that region to think that they are special. This is dramatic hyperbole of course, but the whites do have a certain something that makes them an acquired taste. The Viura grape is aged in oak for a very long time, sometimes up to ten years before release, and the resulting wines are rich, syrupy and very oaky. Aromas and flavors of honey, almonds and wildflowers are common, but often these play a secondary role to the oak. While not everyone will like this style, they can be quite appealing and are certainly unique. Look for the whites from López de Heredia. Often they are aged for ten years before release.

But red wine holds court in Rioja, with Tempranillo as its king accounting for 61% of all grapes grown. Garnacha (Grenache) plays a small role, as does Graciano and Carignan, but usually just to blend. The great bodegas (Spanish for cellars) of Marqués de Murrieta Castillo Ygay and Marqués de Riscal have been producing lovely Tempranillo since the 19th century. This history plays a key role as many of the better producers have banded together to ensure high levels of quality. So high are the standards that the European Union has awarded Rioja a special classification above and beyond the normal D.O. status of Spain: The Denominación de Origen Calificada. This simply means that wine produced in Rioja must meet the standards of the region as far as yield and aging are concerned. For great traditional Rioja look to the famous producers Artadi, Riscal, Murrieta and Marqués de Cáceres, who was the first to use French oak to age his wines in 1970. Great vintages include 1990, 1991, 1994-1996, 1998 and 2001.

A new generation of winemakers is making things interesting in Rioja. Producers such as Remulluri, Lanzaga and Palacios are bringing new world techniques to the fragile Tempranillo. Instead of short fermentations and extended aging in American oak, they are switching to the more subtle French oak and extending the time of contact between the crushed grape skins and the juice, a process called maceration. The result is a wine that has more depth of flavor and extraction and is ready to drink at a younger age. While this may be ruffling some Spanish feathers it is very popular with the international market. Sales of Rioja and Spanish wine as a whole are skyrocketing. The allowance of irrigation in 1996 has also helped spur quality and innovation.

While Rioja may be in a state of flux between the beauty of tradition and the genius of innovation, both styles of wine can be phenomenal. There are faults in both categories as more traditional Rioja can feel dried out and the “new world” style can taste homogenized, but overall the region is a hotbed of good value. Spanish wines as a whole tend to be less expensive than their EU cousins, and often they are relative steals for their combination of age and quality. It may be difficult to compare Rioja with Bordeaux, but the prices can be just as far apart. Next time that you are in the wine shop look for the Spanish section. It may be the best wine that you have never heard of.

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