Rioja

There have been vineyards on the banks of the River Ebro, in northern Spain, since Roman times, but it was only in the 1860s that Rioja as we know it began to emerge. The catalyst was the arrival of winemakers from Bordeaux, whose own vineyards were being devastated by the Phylloxera louse.

They brought with them the concept of barrel-ageing. Blending together local grapes Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo, they aged their wine in barrels made of American oak, rather than French, as it was less expensive and more widely available. The pale, red-fruit-flavoured wines that resulted had an addictive sweet vanilla finish which quickly became immensely popular. Over time, three quality designations developed - Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva - each denoting a progressively longer time spent in barrel prior to bottling.

With the advent of modern winemaking facilities in the 1980s and 90s, some Bodegas also began to produce more modern wines: richer and fuller bodied with more emphasis on fruit rather than oak. Again, they caught the imagination of the worldwide drinking public and Rioja became a sensation a second time around.

Both styles are still widely available. From our own range, Marténez Bujanda, for example, epitomises the ‘modern’ style while Castillo Labastida produces impeccable traditional wines.

Further variations in the overall Rioja style can result from the sub-region where the grapes are grown. Rioja divides neatly into three areas. Rioja Alta is the higher part, mainly south of the River Ebro. Rioja Alavesa is in the Basque province of Alava, north of the Ebro. And finally, the warmest of the three, Rioja Baja, which lies nearer to the capital Logroño.