Regional Blends / Wine Basics / Wine Regions

Wine Baby’s Guide to: Red Rioja

In 1926, Rioja was the first region to be recognized as a Denominacion de Origen (DO) in Spain. There are now 79. And in 1991, it became the first of only two Denominacion de Origen Calificado (DOCa). That should give you a hint as to the quality we are talking about here.

The Rioja region in Spain is known around the globe for it’s fine wines and surprisingly reasonable prices. There is great value to be found when you start getting to know these wines.

While Rioja is most known for it’s red wines, which account for 75 to 80% of it’s production, it does also produce some rosé made from the same red grapes, and delicious whites.

Rioja reds are built on the strong foundation provided by Tempranillo grapes, and can be blended with Garnacha (also referred to as Grenache), Mazuelo (also known as Carignan), and Graciano. Since this article is all about Spanish Rioja, I will be using the Spanish names throughout.

Traditionally, these wines have been aged in older American oak which imparts a distinct hint of vanilla, but a new style is emerging that relies more on new French oak. Either way though, oak aging plays a central role in what defines Rioja. In fact, they even have a classification system that tells you exactly how long it was aged before release, but we will get into that in more detail in the “Shopping for Red Rioja” Section.

And the winemaking style is heavily influenced by the regions historical ties to Bordeaux, so if you like Bordeaux, but have yet to try Rioja, I think you’ve going to like these.

TASTING RED RIOJA

 Let’s talk about the two different styles: traditional vs. modern.

The traditional style is designed to be aged for longer periods because the wine is meant to soften and become more complex with age. These wines have time to mellow out and develop beautiful, refined, earthy characteristics. These are the wines that are going to use the labelling terms of Reserva and Gran Reserva, as they spend the longest time being aged before their release.

The modern style, on the other hand, is meant to be enjoyed much younger and are more fruit-forward than their traditional counterpart. It spends far less time in oak, but the oak is younger and therefore is still able to impart those secondary notes in a dramatic fashion.

I would recommend trying a side-by-side tasting to compare traditional vs. modern, as well as tasting each of the different oak aging levels, and seeing what you prefer. There’s something for every taste!

As for the key players, Tempranillo is going to be the star of the show. It lays the framework for aging potential, as well as providing the main source of aromas and flavours.

Garnacha is the most common partner to Tempranillo, but it’s a bit challenging to grow, like Pinot Noir. It adds the acidity that Tempranillo is slightly lacking, as well as pumping up the juiciness and body. This grape is used quite a bit in the Rioja Baja subzone.

Graciano and Mazuelo are other options for adding into the blend. Graciano can add intense colour, flavour and acidity, but it ripens so late in the season that it’s rarely used. Mazuelo on the other hand is very robust, spicy, and fragrant.

Colour

Because some traditional Riojas can be aged for quite a few years prior to their release, their colour can be starting to fade away. But most of the grapes that contribute to this blend lean on the deeper side of the spectrum. Mazuelo even has a purple hue. Garnacha is typically paler than the rest, unless the yields are particularly low.

Nose

The most tell-tale note is going to be the presence of oak aging aromas, specifically vanilla which is characteristic of American oak on those traditional wines.

Because the wines are so heavily Tempranillo based, it’s characteristics are going to shine through the strongest. And these characteristics really run the gamut – from strawberry and cherries on the younger side, to earthy tobacco, spice, and dried fruits on the older side.

Garnacha is much fruitier and somewhat sweet, with aromas of cooked strawberries, plums, and blood oranges. But it still holds it’s own, contributing notes of leather and dried herbs.

Mazuelo is also fruity and spicy, with similar notes to tempranillo. Tart red fruit like cranberries and raspberries are juxtaposed with tobacco, baking spices, and meatiness.

And Graciano, if you can find any Rioja that uses it, has a beautifully fragrant bouquet with a hint of spice.

Together, they combine to give us fruit aromas of cherries and figs, earthy notes of graphite and tobacco, and secondary aromas of leather and vanilla from the oak.

Palate

You might not think it, but Rioja actually falls into the medium sweet category, which isn’t very common for a red. It’s not overly noticable though, because it’s well balanced with medium plus body, acidity, tannins, and alcohol.

Tempranillo has a great structure to act as the foundation, and is overall fairly well balanced on it’s own, which is why it’s not hard to find single varietal wines as well.

But when Graciano is blended in, it pumps up the acidity enough to make it truly an age-worthy wine.

Garnacha is lower in tannins, and medium across the rest of the board, whereas Mazuelo has higher tannins and alcohol.

Pairing

I like to keep things simple and pair Spanish foods with Spanish wines (in fact, I’ll be going to a Spanish/Portugese restaurant tonight and I’m already getting excited to drink some Rioja with my dinner!)

Because of the solid structure, you can definitely put a wine like this up against a richer or fattier meat, like lamb, or a fancy hamburger. And chorizo would be a great option for a charcuterie board!

SHOPPING FOR RED RIOJA

We’ve already discussed the traditional vs. modern styles of Rioja, but that’s not exactly going to be on the label for you to pick out at the store. So instead, you should get to know these two things to look for: aging classifications and subzones.

Aging Classifications

There are four tiers to these classifications:

1. Joven – these wines are very young and fruity, but they typically aren’t exported so you would be hard pressed to find one in your local liquor store unless you actually live in Spain.
2. Crianza – this has the lowest aging requirement. These wines have to spend two years aging before their release, with one of those years being in oak.
3. Reserva – this next step up uses better quality grapes and results in more subtle wines with intense earthy notes. They have to spend a total of three years aging, again with one of those years being in oak.
4. Gran Reserva – these wines are made with only the top quality grapes from the best vineyards, and are only made in exceptional years, which makes them more rare. They are the most elegant of the bunch. They are required to spend a minimum of five years aging, although many producers will go even further than that. And instead of one year in oak, these must spend two full years in the barrel.

Subzones

There are three subzones within Rioja that can be grouped into two different styles:

Rioja Alta in the southwest, and Rioja Alavesa in the northwest are very heavily Tempranillo-dominant. Their climates are cooler and wetter than in the East, which brings up the acidity of the grapes and results in more delicate and elegant wines.

Rioja Alta is considered the higher quality of the two.

Rioja Baja sits on the Eastern side and has more of a Garnacha influence than the other two subzones. The wines here are bigger, richer, meatier, and more alcoholic.

Why not try them all?

Are you a sucker for the quality-to-price ratio of Rioja like me? What’s your classification preference? Tell me in the comments!