Rioja: The Past Is Always Present 

BY JOSH RAYNOLDS | APRIL 22, 2021

Change comes slowly in Rioja. Many of the winemaking practices that were in place when the region was established in the third quarter of the 19th century are widely used today. Grapes are pressed traditionally and most of the best wines are aged, sometimes for many years, in oak barrels of various sizes, with a preference towards American oak. Many winemakers see oxidation during aging as an asset, not a flaw, that when done correctly, brings the unique perfume, complex flavors and supple texture that make serious Rioja among the world’s greatest wines.

Rioja’s somewhat bewildering, some might say erratic, release schedule keeps customers and writers on their toes. A big part of the reason for this staggered process is the varying amounts of time that the wines are aged in barrel and/or bottle before they leave the bodegas. By law, Crianzas must be aged for at least one year in barrel, followed by another year in bottle. Reservas must be aged for at least three years before being released, with at least one of those years in barrel, and Gran Reservas must spend at least two years in barrel and three years in bottle before being commercialized. Needless to say, many bodegas go beyond and even way beyond those minimums to achieve more aromatic complexity, especially at the top properties. As a case in point, I tasted upcoming or currently released red wines from every vintage from 2019 back to 2004 this year!

Modern architecture, Frank Gehry to be specific, meets traditional winemaking at Marqués de Riscal.

Rioja’s Range of Styles

Entry-level bottlings of Rioja are usually referred to as simply “Tinto”, or red, especially for export markets, and sometimes labeled as “Joven”, or young, indicating a bottling that’s intended for more or less immediate or short-term drinking. Then, in addition to the ubiquitous and regulated Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva bottlings, there is a convoluted array of non-sanctioned, fantasy names such as Clasico, Éspecial, Selección, Selección de Familia, Vendimia Seleccionada and so forth, depending on the bodegas’ whims. And the Spanish can definitely be whimsical.

To make matters even more interesting, or confusing, there’s now a single-vineyard “Finca” designation (Viñedo Singular) that is allowed starting with the 2017 vintage. It’s a move that some producers hope will draw attention to the fact that Rioja is far from a homogenous growing region, much like in France. Such wines must be made from yields at least 20% lower than the official Rioja level of 45.5 hl/ha, from vines that are a minimum of 35 years old and from an estate-owned or long-term lease site. So far, 84 vineyards, overseen by 50 different bodegas, are allowed to carry the designation. The potential possibilities of this move are quite interesting as Rioja, like all great wine-growing regions, is blessed with a wide range of soils, altitudes and expositions, which can obviously give wines of unique character.

Today there are some 65,326 hectares of vines planted in Rioja, roughly 93% of them to red varieties; 13,389 of them in Rioja Alavesa, 27,347 in Rioja Alta and another 24,590 in Rioja Oriental, formerly known as Rioja Baja. Tempranillo is king in most Rioja vineyards and wines, with Garnacha, Mazuelo, aka Cariñena, Graciano and the rarely encountered Maturana Tinta sometime playing roles in the wines’ final blend, but by no means that often.

Rioja’s White Side