Spanish Rioja wines and fall food pairings

We're doing some traveling on a Monday morning. Hi, what about going to Spain on this October? Spain is great. Renee's here. Have you been to Spain, Renee? I have been to Spain, and I've specifically been to Rioja, which is where we are going today. And you know what? Rioja is one of the best regions for pairing with all the holiday feels and foods and also some Halloween treats as well. And we have to say it, Rioja. Rioja, the finest wine region in Spain. It's located in the north of Spain. It's really based on wines that are made from the Tempranillo grape, so all these are based on that. And, you know, the unique thing about it is you have three sub-regions of Rioja. Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa, Rioja Oriental. Together, they bring a diversity of terroir and winemaking styles all the way from Crianza Reserva to Gran Reserva. These wines are based on terroir, aging, and winemaking finesse. Okay, so what's the difference between them? All right, so we're going to get into that. Now that we've done our little crash course, we're going to start with the Bodegas La Crianza Rioja. I recognize this one. Isn't it? It's a fabulous label. It really pops. We're actually going to be pairing each one with a nice little fall flavor. So I'm going to get you to grab a glass for me. Really sift it. I'm going to give you a little bit of information about Bodegas La. So this wonderful Crianza, like I said, it's iconic. It's aged for 14 months in hybrid French and American oak barrels. It also sits for nine months in bottle. This is the entry level of aging, so we're already at like a super aging level. It's coming from Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa, and we get these great like strawberry, raspberry, sandalwood toasted notes. The palate is really bright and spiced. What are you pairing with? I'm pairing it with a chicken stew. I know I got you a little piece there. Chicken stew with a little bit of yam and wild rice. You wouldn't think soup and wine, but soup and wine go great, especially if it's Rioja. Chicken soup. You know what I mean? There we go. Wonderful. Okay, next. So this is the world of Reserva and more aging. We're starting with the Baronia Reserva 2019. Give that a try for me. This is a wine that comes from 40-year-old vines and it's aged for 18 months in French and American oak barrels. Really what that gives you is these really wonderful prune, sandalwood, plumy, cinnamony toasty notes. So Reserva means older. Older. Okay. All that we know about, for Rioja, it's always going to be aged. You're getting older and older. And now we're going to pair it with one of my favorite fall staples, which is a honey glazed pork belly. There's a sweet and savory, I know, right? Wow. There's a sweet and savory vibe in the wine. And a sweet and savory vibe in the food. Got to be one of the next ones. Let's go to Muga. So this is Bodegas Muga. This is their Reserva. This is a Reserva from Rioja Alta. It is fermented in oak, so you're going to expect a more expansive wine. Really well done with lots of bright berry and spice notes on the palate. Beautifully long tannins. Great for a diametrically different. Expensive? Because it's older? You know what? This region is so affordable. Is it? Okay. It's so affordable. And this goes super great with a truffle mac and cheese. What? I know. Done in a mushroom bechamel sauce. You know, you can go bold with something easy. And while you savor that a little bit, I'll tell you a little bit about the Grand Reserva that we're getting into next. Because Grand Reserva is one of my favorite wines from Rioja to pair with Halloween chocolates. This is the Faustino Grand Reserva. Parents, listen up. I know. Parents, listen up. This is the Faustino Grand Reserva 2015. This is a nine-year-old wine. It spends five years aging in barrels. It's from Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa, and it is elegant. You get a lot of berry notes, a lot of toasted, a lot of cinnamon, a lot of cacao. That one is an orange chocolate that you're biting into. I actually really like it with a spiced chocolate. Or you could also do it with a salted caramel chocolate. Because it's long aged, you don't get those high tannins. You get softness. I know, right? We got them all. All available at LCBO? All available at the LCBO. All from Rioja. Just remember, Rioja is wonderful and you should drink more of it. Rioja! Thank you, Renee. Cheers! More Morning Live. We'll hook it up on our website. CACH.com slash morninglive. Love this wine.