La Rioja, a Provence in the Northern-central part of Spain produces some of the country’s most notable wines: Rioja. It is a name much loved for the complexity and diversity that are often associated with wine. So what exactly is Rioja, how is this wine made and what are the different styles?
The Wines
Rioja comes in many forms: White, red, sparkling and rose. However, the most notables Rioja wines are the red blends. These wines are made from a blend of several different varieties – but the dominant grapes are often Tempranillo with Grenache. Other varieties such as Graciano, Carignan, and MaturanaTinta are also permitted. Red Riojas are known for their tannin and structure but are sometimes an overestimated wine compared to structured reds from France.
The white Riojas (Rioja Blanco) have to be made from at least 51% Viura, but can also contain: Malvasia, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo. Even though Riojas are meant to be a blend of varieties, there have been instances of white Riojas being made from 100% Viura.
The History of Rioja
The first evidence of Rioja production dates back to the Roman Times and was of the leading wine regions in Europe outside of France. When it came to the production of Rioja in the middle ages, the Spanish closely followed the trend in Bordeaux. A lot of their techniques within the vineyard and cellar were used in the production of Rioja. It wasn’t until Phylloxera hit France that Rioja was truly able to shine. Because of the similarity in Rioja and Bordeaux techniques, Rioja was greatly favored when France could no longer produce their own wines.
It wasn’t long after that, that Phylloxera had its own devastating impact on Spain, wiping out about 70% of its vines. It took more than 20 years for the region to get back to producing good wines. But when they did, they were producing better wines than ever before – focusing on correct viticulture and winemaking practices.
The Terroir
The Provence of La Rioja has a very specific climate, geography and soil types that allow the grapes of this region to flourish the way they do. The impact that the climate and soil have on the wines should never be overlooked.
When looking at La Rioja and where the vines are grown, there are three major sub-regions that La Rioja is broken up into. Each of these regions has slightly different terroirs which ultimately means that each area produces a slightly different style of Rioja. These sub-regions are Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Baja.
The general landscape of Rioja is very similar to Burgundy, with beautiful mountains surrounding the region.
Apart from the beauty aspect, these mountains provide some much-needed shelter. The Sierra de Cantabria and Sierra Cameras mountains protect the vineyards from rain and serious cold fronts.
This protection also means that the area as a whole is rather dry. Although this setting is ideal for the Tempranillo grape, the risk of devastating droughts is an ever-present threat.
The only reason grapes are truly able to thrive in this hot, dry climate, is because the soil types in La Rioja can counter these droughts.
In Rioja Alta and Rioja Baja, the most common soil types are Calcareous clay, Alluvium and Ferrugineous clay. These soil types are capable of retaining water in this dry region, keeping the soil cool throughout the year and offering a range of different nutrients that allow the vines to grow extremely well.
In Rioja Alavesa, however, the soils are rich in limestone and clay. The clay is important for water retention, and the addition of the limestone means that the acidity in these wines is slightly higher than those of Rioja Baja or Rioja Alta.
The Rioja classifying system
For those individuals that aren’t too familiar with the wine, Rioja sounds like a general term for all the wine made in this region. But something to know is that Rioja comes in different levels with different rules and different characteristics because of that.
Rioja Joven: With these wines, there are no aging requirements. These wines are very rarely put into barrels for a long time, with the focus more on fresh, fruity, everyday drinking wines. They are sometimes overlooked and thought to be of lesser quality, but with modern viticulture and winemaking techniques, these wines have proven to be improving in quality.
Rioja Crianza: To be able to classify a wine under Crianza, the red wines have to be aged for a minimum of two years (with one of those years being in barrels.) For white wines, they have to be aged for 1 year with only six months of those being in a barrel.
Rioja Reserva: Under this range, Red wines have to be aged for a minimum of three years – one year being in barrels. White wines has to be aged for two years, with a minimum of six months in barrels.
Sparkling wine has also joined this classification system – and the rules state that the wine has to be made using the Traditional Method, with a minimum of 24 months on the lees.
Rioja Gran Reserva: For these, extensive aging is required. Red wines have to be aged for a minimum of five years – two of those in barrels. White wines also need a total of five years, but only six months have to be in barrels.
Rioja Food pairing
Rioja comes in many different levels of complexity, and this is important to remember when deciding what to eat with the wine.
For Rioja Crianza, which is lighter and less complex, opt for lighter white meats like chicken, fish and pasta dishes.
Rioja Reserva and Gran Reserva require meatier dishes like lamb or pork. If you really want to get the best out of your pairing, opt for something that was char-grilled.
These wines also work perfectly with steak or stews – as the complexity of the dish and the complexity of the meal match perfectly.
In a world full of exquisite wines, understanding Rioja wines are so important. These wines are often so misunderstood and underappreciated. So, hopefully, this article is informative enough to sway you toward trying a Rioja wine and experiencing the wonders it can bring.
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