Classic Rioja Alta to kick off virtual trip to Spain (#WorldWineTravel)

Once a month, throughout 2021, a new group of wine bloggers, World Wine Travel, is visiting Spain. Regarded as the “sleeping giant of the wine world,” Spain has more land under vine than any other country in the world and ranks third, behind Italy and France, in global wine production volume.

So where to start on this year-long virtual journey? Well, our blogging group is heading to La Rioja, perhaps the most famous red wine region of Spain. You’re invited to join us for a Twitter chat about Rioja wines on Saturday 1/23 (8 am PT/11 am ET). Simply follow the #WorldWineTravel hashtag.

Tradition and change

After “traveling” to Bordeaux last week with the French Winophiles, it seems fitting to step into tradition-steeped Rioja. Located in north-central Spain, Rioja is geographically closer to Bordeaux than to the Mediterranean Sea, and the two regions are connected historically.

In the late 19^th century, when French vineyards were being ravaged by the phylloxera pest, Rioja attracted the attention of wine connoisseurs looking for a Bordeaux substitute. Bordeaux winemakers who had settled in Rioja were having early successes making Bordeaux-style wine from indigenous grape varieties. The problem was Rioja’s remoteness from major markets. Construction of a railway solved this problem, and soon new bodegas (wine shops) were opening beside the Haro train station in Rioja Alta.

Phylloxera eventually spread to the Spanish vineyards, but by then, the Bordeaux style had made its mark.

Rather than Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Tempranillo is the dominant red grape of Rioja. This indigenous grape is grown widely across the northern and central regions of Spain. Rioja and Ribera Del Duero produce the most Tempranillo-based wine in Spain. In Ribera del Duero, the grape is known as “Tinto Fino” or “Tinta del Pais,” a clone that is especially adapted to that region’s hotter, drier climate. Tempranillo also shows up in some far-flung places like Texas and California.

In Rioja, Tempranillo is traditionally blended with Garnacha, Mazuelo, Viura, or Graciano. Red Rioja wines are split into four classification levels – Joven, Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva – based on number of years aged in oak barrels. The Rioja region also produces some white wines and rosados (rosé wines).

The most highly regarded red Rioja wines hail from Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa. In these higher-elevation subregions, the climate is moderated by Mediterranean breezes that waft up the Ebro Valley, while the Cantabrian Mountains protect vineyards from the worst of the weather systems moving east from the Atlantic Ocean. But recently, some producers in Rioja Oriental (formerly Rioja Baja), the lower region, have been getting high marks.

For a while, the quality of Spanish wines lagged behind international competitors, but recent investments in the latest technology have improved winemaking nationwide. Additionally, a new classification system was put in place in December 2018 that encourages Rioja wineries to champion regional microclimates and singular vineyard sites, rather than aging alone as the indication of a wine’s quality.

The winery – La Rioja Alta, S.A.

In 1890, five Riojan and Basque families founded the Sociedad Vinicola de La Rioja Alta in Haro’s Station District to take advantage of the market for Rioja. Their first winemaker was French.

In 1904, La Rioja Alta absorbed Bodegas Ardanza and gained access to its vineyards in Rioja Alta. In 1941, the company changed its name to La Rioja Alta, S.A., the same name as the subregion where its operations are based. Today, Grupo La Rioja Alta also owns the Torre de Oña estate in the Alavesa subregion of Rioja, Áster in Ribera del Duero, and Lagar de Cervera in the Rias Baixas region of Galicia – a total of 1,630 acres of vineyards.

La Rioja Alta’s top wine is their Gran Reserva 890, a 90 percent Tempranillo that spends about six years in first-use barrels. The Gran Reserva 904, their second wine, is aged for four years in oak and has a similar proportion of Tempranillo. La Rioja Alta also makes a range of wines at the Reserva level, and the Viña Ardanza, which has a higher proportion of Garnacha. Two other wines, the Viña Arana and the Viña Alberdi, round out their portfolio.

Most Rioja wineries today have switched to French or a mix of French and American oak barrels, but La Rioja Alta, S.A. still uses 100% American oak. Barrels are made in the company’s own cooperage at their Haro winery. While it has become common to find 100% Tempranillo wines, most Rioja producers still favor blending.

Sources: K&L Wines, Last Bottle, Skurnik, VinePair, WineFolly, Wine-searcher. Also, Society of Wine Educators and Wine & Spirit Education Trust study guides.

The wine – La Rioja Alta, S.A. 2015 Viña Alberdi Reserva DOCa
100% Tempranillo

Sold abroad as Reserva and in Spain as Crianza, Viña Alberdiis aged for two years in American oak barrels made onsite.

My tasting notes: Ruby in color. Aromatic nose of cherry, sweet spice, tea, and cigar ash. Creamy, earthy palate of tobacco and spice, mouth-coating with pronounced but polished tannins. Reminds me of lingering around the embers of a late-evening campfire – that woodsy mix of forest, damp earth, and smoke. Medium acidity. Long finish. Alcohol: 14.5% Price: $20.

Suggested pairings: Ugh! A massive head cold dulled my senses this week and sapped my energy. Things started to return to normal by Friday, in enough time to taste and take notes on this juicy, affordable Rioja. Foraging in the fridge, I managed to put together a ground turkey and bean chili and, as luck would have it, we had Manchego cheese and olives on hand. I added a quarter cup of Chipotle salsa to the chili, but didn’t overdo the seasoning. Medium chili heat suited this earthy Rioja. As for the cheese and olives, oh my – like reuniting compatriots! I’d also recommend barbecued brisket and anything cooked over a spit.

Check out the tasting notes and pairing ideas from the entire group of World Wine Travel bloggers below and if reading this in time, please join us for the chat.

• Andrea at The Quirky Cork matches Marqués de Cáceres Crianza with Chorizo Sweet Potato Pockets.
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm pairs Mexican Ham Soup and a Spanish Rioja Wine.
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla offers Catalan Coques + La Rioja Alta Viña Arana Rioja Gran Reserva 2014.
• Steve at Children of the Grape is Tasting Rioja With Aging Eyes.
• Allison and Chris at Advinetures share Rioja: The Confluence of Tradition & Modernity.
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles writes Viura – There is More to Rioja than Tempranillo.
• David at Cooking Chat posts a White Bean Stew with Sausage and a Rioja.
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest gives us Revisiting Rioja: Vinedos Singulares with Bodegas Ontañon.
• Nicole at Somm’s Table has One Day in Haro.
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish says White Rioja: There’s a Style for Every Palate.
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass pours Classic Rioja Alta to kick off virtual trip to Spain.
• Terri at Our Good Life offers Our First Rioja with Assorted Easy Tapas.
• Marcia at Joy of Wine posits White Rioja: Taste and See What You’re Missing.
• Susannah at Avvinare is Exploring Legendary Winery Marqués de Riscal.
• Martin at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog is Reconsidering Rioja Blanco with the 2008 R. López de HerediaRioja Blanco Reserva Viña Tondonia.
• Marcia at Joy of Wine shares White Rioja: Taste & See What You’re Missing.
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator writes Regional Rioja: Tempranillo, Viura, Rosado paired with hearty soup, salad, lamb, papas frites.
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! tells Rioja Oriental – A Cinderella Story.