Anticipating Rioja | A Girl Goes North

In just a few short days I will leave Alicante heading northbound towards... La Rioja, the mecca for any Spanish wine fan. Because I will be rubbing shoulders with guests at some of the most prestigious wineries in the whole country, I am going to take advantage of the free time I have in these next few days to brush up on my knowledge of Rioja.

Lets start with what I already know. La Rioja is one of seventeen autonomous communities in Spain and is located in the central northern part of the country. Wines with the Rioja D.O.C (Denominación de Origen Calificada) come not only from La Rioja, but also from parts of Navarre and the Basque province of Álava. The wines of Rioja are what have practically defined the wines of Spain, at least it appears that way to the undiscerning tourist. However, the reputation of Rioja is not for nothing. It is a fantastic viticulture spot and produces wines of extremely high quality. [Well, shoot, it looks like I can't share anything more than a few factoids and generous adjectives, so let's see what else I can find.]

Starting with the basics: Rioja measures about 75 square miles (877 km for my eurofans) and is home to 14,000 vineyards owned by 150 wineries. The main grapes grown in the region are Tempranillo, Viura, Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo. Rioja is divided into three parts: Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa and each produces its own expression of Rioja wine. 

Rioja Alta is located on the western end of the region which has higher elevations, which means shorter growing seasons, which, in turn, produces brighter, fruit flavors. It is relatively light on the palate and supposedly reflects and "old world" style of wine. I was given some very compelling advice from a trusted friend in the states imploring me to visit R. Lopez de Heredia, which is located in this region of Rioja. I was told these are 'goose bump' wines and if that's true, I will surely dedicate a longer post to them once I've visited. For anyone interesting in a particularly compelling article about these wines, click this link. This is a post by Eric Asimov, a fantastic contributor the the New York Times Dining & Wine section. When doing grant research over the summer, my team had the pleasure of interviewing him in Portland, OR.

[photo from the NY Times]

Rioja Alavesa shares a similar climate to the Alta region, however, wines produced here have a fuller body and higher acidity. The soil in this region is relatively poor, therefore, vines are grown at farther distances from one another so that there is less competition to vital soil nutrients. We will be visiting the winery that was named the best European Winery by the Wine Enthusiast: Marqués de Riscal, which is famous, if not only for its wine, but also for its stunning hotel designed by the architect Frank O. Gehry. Recently, I had a fever and was in bed all day so I decided to watch Modern Marvels: A History of Wine and images of this building appeared several times throughout the documentary. In many ways, for better or for worse, it has become the face of Rioja wineries. It is also mentioned in the NY Times article above, yet Asimov speaks with less reverence than the folks over at the Wine Enthusiast. Take a peak.

Rioja Baja, unlike the other two regions, is influenced by a Mediterranean climate which makes the area the warmest and driest of Rioja. Because drought can be a viticultural hazard in the summer months, irrigation was permitted in the late 1990's. Unlike the typical pale color of Rioja wines, Baja wines have a much deeper hue and can have an alcohol content as high as 18%. Tengo que tener cuidado! These wines typically are blended with grapes from the other two regions of Rioja. 

So, let's talk about the grapes themselves. Most of the grapes cultivated for Rioja wine are those used for the production of vino tinto (red). Of the 250 million liters of wine produced annually in this region, 85% is red, and from there, a great percentage of that is made from one grape: Tempranillo. However, other grapes are grown and used including Garnacha Tinta, Graciano and Mazuelo. "A typical blend will consist of approximately 60% Tempranillo and up to 20% Garnacha, with much smaller proportions of Mazuelo and Graciano. Each grape adds a unique component to the wine with Tempranillo contributing the main flavors and aging potential to the wine; Garnacha adding body and alcohol; Mazuelo adding seasoning flavors and Graciano adding additional aromas." (The Wine Bible p. 418) The remaining 15% of wines produced are blancos y rosados (whites and rosés). Viura (also known as Macabeo) is the prominent white wine grape, which can be blended with Malvasía and Garnacha blanca. Rosé from Rioja is made mostly with Garnacha grapes, however, some bodegas are experimenting with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Rioja red wines are classified into four categories based on how long they are aged in oak barrels and then in their bottles. There is simple Rioja, Rioja Crianza, Rioja Reserva and Rioja Gran Reserva. Simple Rioja is the youngest, spending less than a year in an oak aging barrel. A crianza is aged for at least two years, one of which must have been in oak. Rioja Reserva is aged for at least three years, of which at least one was in oak and finally, Rioja Gran Reserva wines have been aged at least two years in oak and three years in a bottle. 

So, it's quite likely that I will be drinking wine that is at least from 2008. Let me see- what was I doing in 2008 at the same time that these Gran Reservas were spending their first few months in a French oak barrel. I too was in France- studying as an exchange student and drinking my first ever sips of wine. Here I am, five years (and hundreds thousands of sips) later and I can reflect on how much depth I've gained in that amount of time- I am expecting nothing less of the Rioja wine.