Around the world by far the best known wine producing region of Spain is La Rioja. It is by no means the largest wine area, being only one sixth the size of La Mancha, but is justly famous for the quality of its production. Mainly red wines are made and aged at the 443 Bodegas whose traditions and use of selected modern techniques keep them in the forefront of the intensely competitive International market for quality wines. The wines are entitled to the designation DOCa and as such are one of the only two wines with such an accolade, along with Priorat. |
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| So how did these ancient skills not only survive but have successfully adapted to the 21st century ? Riojanas were making wine in Roman times and a thousand years later in 1102 they had adopted the first demarcated area structure followed by the first Rioja " trade mark " c1560, maybe the first one for any wine region. The Phylloxera bug that wiped out most of France's vines in the mid 1800s forced French winemakers to travel south to Rioja where they were quick to introduce their vineyard and barrel aging methods to the area. In turn this helped to develop new easier styles of Rioja wines which given the opening of a rail link to Madrid and Bilbao greatly expanded the potential market for their delicious wines. Rioja lies in the north of Spain 100 kms south of Bilbao port and runs southeast for 150kms following the course of the Ebro river. High mountains enclose the valley giving rise to a local climate ideally suited to grape vine cultivation. The demarcated wine region is spread across three separate communities, La Rioja, Basque country and Navarra and is itself split onto three wine producing areas namely Rioja Alta ( 44% ) Rioja Alavesa ( 21% ) and Rioja Baja ( 35% ). From the 52,000 hectares of vineyards each year they make 250 million litres of wine, 85% being red wine. The soils are mainly chalky/clay in the west and ferrous clay and alluvial in the east. Grape varieties which have proved most productive and are now the only red types permitted to be grown are Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano. A small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon is allowed for experimental purposes but the name may not be mentioned on labels. For the whites the grapes are Viura, Malvasia and Garnacha Blanco. |
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| The tradition in Rioja was for winemakers not to own the vineyards but to offer long term contracts to the 17,000 growers many of whom are small part time farmers. Nowadays the prime objective of the leading groups is to control their own vineyards enabling them to exercise strict vine to bottle regimes.
The very high cost of land will make this an extremely slow process. Each producing area's wines has its individual character but in the end the wines from three areas are blended together to produce harmony and consistency of style vintage by vintage. There is a lively debate amongst producers of the relative merit of " new " style wines which are darker, more tannic designer wines as compared with the traditional Riojan style of soft, fat, American oak flavoured wines. The drinker now has a wider choice than ever and it demonstrates clearly the time does not stand still in this region. One thing is always apparent in a visit to Rioja, the people live, breath and eat the culture of wine and the excellent local cuisine the matches it to perfection. Roast lamb and kid, freshest of vegetables and salads and hearty mountain cheeses make every lunch or dinner a special dining occasion. Tapas in the small bars in the side alleys of Logrono or Haro define the unique Spanish eating experience which melds the sustenance of the body with the social needs to share good times with friends. Top bodegas owners are usually more than pleased to show their personal pride in the business they are maintaining, often being the present representative of a family enterprise centuries old. This is the ideal way to discover the many secrets of fine wine making and how subtle differences of terrain and technique can result in unique flavours and style. Wines are aged in a combination of barrel and bottle striving always to elicit the delicate essence at the heart of the squeezed grape. Different categories are determined by these aging rules: GUARANTEE OF ORIGIN has not had the " crianza " process VINO DE CRIANZA in it's third year spending at least one year in oak RESERVA carefully selected, aged at least three years with one year in oak GRAN RESERVA from a great vintage year with at least two years in oak and three in the bottle. |
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| If you would like The Unique Traveller to design a unique travel experience in Rioja, Sherry, Navarra, Montilla-Moriles or in other regions, specifically to suit your needs, please contact us by e-mail or phone for an itinerary or free quote, without obligation. Alternatively, you could look in the Unique Tours or Corporate & Incentive Tours section of our web-site where you may find one of our other carefully planned tours that more closely matches your preferences. Pricing will vary according to group size, season, duration and your specific requirements. Our tour prices range from as little as £300.00 per person. |
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