Ultimate Video Guide to the Rioja Wine Region

Welcome to the wine region of Rioja. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Rebecca and I'm going to show you around Spain's most famous wine region. Last month we took you to sunny California, the glamorous star of the new world, but this month we're bringing it back to the old school, to the historical heart of Spanish wine, Rioja. The Rioja wine region takes its name from the Spanish province of La Rioja, in the northeast of Spain. The capital city here is Longuano, but the historic city of Jaro, in the northwest, is far more important when it comes to wine, because this is where you'll find the really great wineries, or bodegas to use the Spanish word. The Rioja wine region is split into three parts. You have Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa, and as you can see from the map, Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa are further west than Baja and at higher elevations, but all three wine regions sit in the shadow of the great Sierra de Cantabria mountain range. Rioja is undoubtedly the most famous of the Spanish wine regions, and with good reason. In Spain, more land is devoted to growing vines than in any other country in the world, and much of that land is up here in Rioja, so people take wine seriously here, except that is on the 27th to the 29th of June. This is when the Jaro Wine Festival takes place. Forget about genteel wine tasting, this is Saint Peter's feast day when thousands of locals take part in a massive wine party that involves spraying wine all over each other. After partying all night long, the wine-soaked revelers walk up to the local mountain where they dance to bands and, well, carry on the party. Rioja has an ancient history that dates back as far as 3000 and 4000 BC, when the Phoenicians settled in Spain and began cultivating vines, but disaster struck in the 700s when the Moors arrived and wine production all but stopped completely. Thankfully, medieval Christianity arrived in Spain, bringing trade and the monastic way of life, which resurrected Rioja's wine industry, and the area soon began to flourish, at least locally. Because it wasn't until the Phylloxera aphid outbreak in the middle of the 1800s that Rioja really came into its own. The Phylloxera blight ruined virtually all of France's vineyards, forcing French wine merchants south to Rioja, and with them they brought the traditional and prized winemaking techniques of Bordeaux and the famous barrack-style barrels. And under the Bordelais influence, Rioja thrived and was soon exporting gallons of wine to its Gallic neighbour. Fast forward to modern times and Rioja's recent history is quite turbulent. After recovering from its own outbreak of the Phylloxera aphid at the start of the 20th century, the wine grew popular again in the 1970s, only to fall out of fashion in the 80s following a spell of overpriced and underperforming wines. But nowadays Rioja is back on trend with the region producing some of the best valued wines in the world. As you'd expect from a country that boasts more vineyards than any other, Rioja is a major producer of wine and Spain is the third largest producer in the world. In fact, around 280 to 300 million litres of Rioja is produced every year. That's enough to fill 120 Olympic-sized swimming pools. And of that wine, 90 percent of it's red, with rosé and white wine making up the rest. But this still isn't as much as Bordeaux, which produces two and a half times more. One reason for this is Rioja's grapes, which have a lower yield and therefore produce less wine. So how does the production process work in Rioja? Well, there are four categories of wine. These are vino joven, crianza, reserva and gran reserva. The differences between each category is very simple. It's just down to how the wine is kept in oak and in the bottle. The timings are different for red wine and white wines. So let's start with vino joven, which means young wine. For red wines, these tend to be one or two years old and not oak aged. They are fresh and fruity, with low tannin and not so heavy. When you see a bottle of Rioja labelled simply Rioja, this is a young wine. Next we have the crianza, which should be at least two years old and will have spent a minimum of one year in a cask and a few months in the bottle. These wines will probably have been aged in an oak cask that's been used before, what's called second use or third use barrels, and means the flavour of oak will be less strong. Next we have the reserva. These wines will be from some of the best vintages and will have been aged for at least three years, with at least one year in a cask. They should have good tannin and good flavours of oak. And finally, we've got the gran reserva, and these are the heavy hitters. They would have been produced using grapes from exceptional vintages and will have spent at least two years in oak casks and three years in a bottle. These wines will have high tannin and lots of powerful oaky flavour. But having said all of that, try not to get too hung up on the labels. You can still find excellent wines that are young or crianza. In fact, you may well find that you prefer the fruity freshness of a young Rioja to an oak aged gran reserva, or that you prefer the medium balance of a reserva to an older gran reserva. As with all wine producing regions, the climate and geography is fundamental to the outcome of the wine. And here in Rioja, the very name of the region comes from the land, because Rioja wine is named after the province of La Rioja, which takes its name from the river Oja, or Rio Oja in Spanish, which flows through the area. But more importantly, Rioja is where two major climates meet, the cool and wet Atlantic climate and the hotter and drier Mediterranean. It's the balance of these two climates that results in excellent winemaking temperatures and rainfall. There are two major rivers flowing through Rioja that help keep the region naturally watered and luscious. These are the Rio Oja and the Rio Ebro. The Rioja wine region is shaped by mountains, which in turn greatly influence the vines. In the north and west of the region, you'll find the natural border of These mountains provide a crucial shelter from the cold, wet and fierce winds from the Atlantic Ocean. And this keeps the area much drier and warmer as a result. Rioja benefits from a range of good varied soils that include chalky clay, ferrous clay and alluvial. Viora or Macabeo, as it's known outside of Rioja, is the most widely planted white grape variety in the region. It makes fruity wines with floral aromas and great acidity. This makes it a fantastic grape for both young and aged wines. Typical aromas are floral and citrus. The main regions where you'll find Viora are Spain and France. The Maturana Blanca grape is the oldest grape variety known in Rioja and is mentioned in texts dating back to 1622. It has a low pH and a high acidity and can produce very alcoholic wines. This grape has aromas of apple and herbs. The main region where you'll find Maturana Blanca is Spain. The name Malavasia actually refers to an ancient family of grapes, many of which are grown in Portugal and Spain. In Rioja, it is usually blended with Viora to add body and texture to the wine. These grapes typically have a low acidity with aromas that include notes of orange peel, dried fruits and nuts. You'll find Malavasia grown in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Sicily, the Canary Islands, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia and the USA. As you'd expect, Garnacha Blanca is the white version of the red Garnacha grape and like that one, it is light-skinned. Wines produced from this grape tend to be full-bodied and golden straw colour. Typical aromas are green apple, stone fruits and mineral. This grape is grown in Spain, France and California. Tempranillo is the region's number one grape and accounts for 75% of Rioja's vineyards. It's special for a number of reasons. First of all, it's a great grape for ageing as it can withstand long periods and casts and secondly, it has a very good balance of acidity and tannin. Typical aromas include strawberry and herbs as well as blackcurrant, chocolate, tobacco, vanilla and leather. The main regions where you'll find Tempranillo are Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Australia and the USA. Garnacha or Grenache as it's called in France and Italy used to be the most widely planted grape in the world and it's one of the key grapes in Rioja. It is often blended with Tempranillo to make a typical Rioja blend. Typically, Garnacha has a low to medium tannin and low to medium acidity. Typical aromas are raspberry, spice, tobacco and cinnamon. The main regions where you'll find Garnacha are France, Spain, Italy, the US and Australia. The Graciano grape is indigenous to Rioja and is rarely found outside the area. This is possibly due to the cool climate and clay lime scale soils that it needs to grow. It blends excellently with Tempranillo and has seen somewhat of a resurgence in recent years. Typical aromas are chocolate and violets and it has a medium acidity and medium tannin. The main regions where you'll find Graciano are Spain, Australia and California. Mazuelo grape is thought to have grown in Rioja for centuries but is no longer widely grown in the region. It is more commonly known around the world as Cariñan and makes up about three percent of Rioja's vineyards and it's generally blended with Tempranillo. Mazuelo produces wines with high tannins, high acidity and aromas of black fruit, licorice and pepper. The grape is grown in Spain, Sardinia and California. Since 1926, Rioja wine has fallen under the classification system of the Denominación de Origen Calificada which you'll see abbreviated to DOC and it's the first Spanish wine to be officially recognized and protected in this way. The DOC regulations establish the borders within which Rioja labeled wine can be produced and ensure quality remains by restricting yields so as to protect the land and the vines while also checking and approving the winemaking techniques that are used. There are three regions from which all Rioja wine comes from. These are Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa. Rioja Alta means high Rioja and is the most western of the three regions with vines growing far higher here than they do in Rioja Baja but at a similar altitude to Rioja Alavesa. The Ebro river flows through north of Rioja Alta acting as a natural border between Alta and neighboring Alavesa. You'll find the most beautiful and historic town of Jaro here at 528 meters above sea level. The climate is more continental than in other parts of Rioja with hotter summers and longer autumns. Tempranillo grows abundantly in this region and this is where you'll find classic Rioja style wines which are often lighter and finer than those in neighboring Rioja Alavesa. Some famous wine producers include La Rioja Alta, Marques de Murrieta and Marques de Caceres. Rioja Baja is the easternmost region of Rioja. The land is at a much lower altitude here at around 380 meters in the west and 301 meters in the east. The climate is hotter, drier and more mediterranean making it perfect for growing ganache. Wines produced here tend to be more spicy and peppery which is how the locals enjoy their wine. To the north of the river Ebro is Rioja Alavesa, the smallest and most northern of the three regions and the only appellation to fall outside of the La Rioja province in the Alava region of the autonomous Basque country. This region lies in the foothills of the Cantabrian mountains and while Rioja Alta might mean high Rioja, it's actually Alavesa that boasts some of the highest vineyards in all of Rioja. The climate here is cooler and wetter than in Alto and Baja and Tempranillo is widely grown and early for making younger and fresher wines which is popular among the local Basque community.