Everybody’s favourite Spanish wine region, Rioja stretches for 100km west to east along both sides of the Ebro River, with the Basque country to the north, and the Catalonia region to the east. Roads in Rioja are lined with vineyards – some 66,000 hectares of them, with a history of vine growing stretching back a thousand years. The vineyards are broken up by ancient monasteries straddling the Camino de Santiago Pilgrim’s Trail, and some stunning winery architecture. Then, in between, there are some of Spain’s prettiest villages – hello, Sajazarra.
Rioja was the first Spanish region to become an officially demarcated wine region back in 1925. It was also the first area to be awarded the superior DOCa, later joined by Priorat – still the only two DOCa in Spain. Sometimes referred to as Spain’s answer to Bordeaux, Rioja produces red and white wine, rosé, sweet and sparkling wine, and like Bordeaux, it’s the red wines that most of us are familiar with, though Rioja whites are gaining recognition.
Red Rioja is made with a blend of grapes, most notably Tempranillo, Garnacha and Graciano. Tempranillo is the most widely planted grape in Rioja and brings a fruitiness to the blend. Garnacha adds body to the wine and Mazuelo gives tannin, while Graciano is prized for its aroma and freshness. Once in decline, white Rioja now makes up a sizeable proportion of Spain’s finest white wines – plantings are growing year on year – with Viura the most important white grape variety. There are an array of styles in modern day Rioja, from the very traditional to the overtly international.