Rioja (wine)

La RIoja DOCa vineyards with the village of Entrena in the middleground

• The harvesting of wine in La Rioja has an ancient lineage with origins dating back to the Phoenicians and the Celtiberians.
• The earliest written evidence of the existence of the grape in La Rioja dates to 873, in the form of a document from the Public Notary of San Millán dealing with a donation to the San Andrés de Trepeana (Treviana) Monastery. As was the case in many Mediterranean lands in mediaeval times, monks were the main practitioners of winemaking in La Rioja and great advocates of its virtues.
• Vineyards occupied the usual part of rural landscapes in medieval Rioja during the High Middle Ages (10th–13th century)
• In the year 1063, the first documented report of viticulture in La Rioja appears in the "Carta de población de Longares" (Letter to the Settlers of Longares).
• The King of Navarra and Aragon gave the first legal recognition of Rioja wine in 1102
• There are proofs of Rioja wine export towards other regions as early as the late 13th century, which testifies the beginnings of a commercial production.
• In the thirteenth century, Gonzalo de Berceo, clergyman of the Suso Monastery in San Millán de la Cogolla (La Rioja) and Spain's earliest known poet, mentions the wine in some of his works.
• From the 15th century on, the Rioja Alta specialized in wine growing.
• In 1560, harvesters from Longares chose a symbol to represent the quality of the wines.
• In 1635, the mayor of Logroño prohibited the passing of carts through streets near wine cellars, in case the vibrations caused a deterioration of the quality of the wine.
• In 1650, the first document to protect the quality of Rioja wines was drawn up.
• In 1790, at the inaugural meeting of the Real Sociedad Económica de Cosecheros de La Rioja (Royal Economic Society of Rioja Winegrowers), many initiatives as to how to construct, fix, and maintain the roads and other forms of access for transportation of wine were discussed. The Society was established to promote the cultivation and commercialisation of Rioja wines and 52 Rioja localities participated.
• In 1852, Luciano Murrieta (es) created the first fine wine of the Duque de la Victoria area, having learned the process in Bordeaux.
• In 1892, the Viticulture and Enology Station of Haro was founded for quality-control purposes.
• In 1902, a Royal Decree determining the origin of Rioja wines is promulgated.
• The Consejo Regulador (Regulating Council) was created in 1926 with the objective of limiting the zones of production, expanding the warranty of the wine and controlling the use of the name "Rioja".
• This Council became legally structured in 1945 and was finally inaugurated in 1953.
• In 1970 the Regulations for denominación de origen were approved as well as Regulations for the Regulating Council.
• In 1991, the prestigious "Calificada" (Qualified) nomination was awarded to La Rioja, making it Spain's first denominación de origen calificada (DOCa).
• In 2008, the Regulating Council for the La Rioja Denomination of Origin created a new logo to go on all bottles of wine produced under this designation. From now on bottles of wine from the La Rioja Qualified Denomination of Origin will no longer bear the familiar logo. In an attempt to appeal to younger wine-lovers, the long-standing logo will now be replaced with a brighter, more modern logo with cleaner lines. The aim is to reflect the new, modern aspects of wine-growing in La Rioja without detracting from the traditional wines. In theory, the new logo represents a Tempranillo vine symbolising "heritage, creativity and dynamism".
• In 2017, the DOCa Rioja, in this process of continuous improvement, enriched its current offer by regularizing and incorporating new indications (Singular Vineyards, Zone Wines, Municipality Wines, Quality Sparkling White and Sparkling Wines) with the traditional aging ones.
• In 2018, Rioja launched its new global brand message, 'Saber quién eres', where tradition, diversity and origin become protagonist attributes.

The area cultivated in 2018, in hectares, according to the grape varieties and by Autonomous Communities is as follows:

As can be seen, red grapes represent 90.85% and white grapes represent 9.15%.

The red grapes are distributed as follows: Tempranillo: 87.67%, Garnacha: 7.58%, Mazuelo: 2.07%, Graciano: 2.15%, Maturana tinta: 0.30% and others: 0.23%.

The percentage among whites is determined as follows: Viura: 69.17%, Malvasia: 2.22%, Garnacha blanca: 3.61%, Tempranillo blanco: 12.48%, Maturana blanca: 0.58%, Verdejo: 5, 44%, Turruntés: 0.08%, Chardonnay: 2.49%, Sauvignon Blanc: 3.31% and others: 0.61%.

The pruning consists in forming the stump with three arms and two thumbs in each arm. Each thumb will have two buds from which the shoots will sprout. The grape harvest is done manually in the month of October. To ensure quality, the quantity is restricted to 6,500 kg / ha for red varieties and 9,000 kg / ha for white.[7]

A Reserva designated Rioja wine

The ageing is carried out in 225-liter oak barrels for a period ranging from 1 to 3 years, and later in the bottle itself for a period of 6 months to 6 years.

Depending on the time the wine remains in the barrel it is classified as:

• Crianza:
  • In red wines, the period of aging in oak barrels and bottles must be a minimum of two calendar years from 1 October of the year of the harvest in question, followed and complemented by aging in the bottle. The minimum time that must remain in the barrel is one year.
  • In the case of whites and rosés, the total time is the same as for reds, but only a minimum of six months in barrels is mandatory.
• Reserva:
  • In red wines, the period of aging in oak barrels and bottles must be a minimum of thirty-six months, with a minimum time of twelve months in oak barrels.
  • In the case of whites and rosés, the total time between aging in oak barrels and bottles must be a minimum period of twenty-four months, with a minimum aging period of six months in oak barrels.
• Gran Reserva:
  • In red wines, the time must have a minimum of time in barrel of twenty-four months, followed and supplemented with an aging in bottle of at least thirty-six months.
  • In the case of whites and rosés: aging in oak barrels and bottles for a total period of at least forty-eight months, with a minimum aging period in oak barrels of six months.

In 2018, the Regulating Council released new classification rules for Rioja, in an attempt to encourage championship of regional microclimates and put a greater focus on singular vineyard sites.[8] This amended system, similar to Burgundy grading, moves Rioja from being focused primarily on aging and oaking to a more all encompassing system inspecting the terroir of the wine – such as allowing labels to display the village or municipality of origin on the front label.

The harvest ratings of the D.O.Ca. Rioja granted by its Regulating Council since its founding in 1926 are the following:

A white Rioja made mostly from Viura

A distinct characteristic of Rioja wine is the effect of oak aging. First introduced in the early 18th century by Bordeaux influenced winemakers, the use of oak and the pronounced vanilla flavors in the wines has been a virtual trademark of the region though some modern winemakers are experimenting with making wines less influenced by oak. Originally French oak was used but as the cost of the barrels increased many bodegas began to buy American oak planks and fashion them into barrels at Spanish cooperages in a style more closely resembling the French method. This included hand splitting the wood, rather than sawing, and allowing the planks time to dry and "season" in the outdoors versus drying in the kiln.[9] In recent times, more bodegas have begun using French oak and many will age wines in both American and French oak for blending purposes.[10]

In the past, it was not uncommon for some bodegas to age their red wines for 15–20 years or even more before their release. One notable example of this the Marqués de Murrieta which released its 1942 vintage gran reserva in 1983 after 41 years of aging. Today most bodegas have shifted their winemaking focus to wines that are ready to drink sooner, with the top wines typically aging for 4–8 years prior to release, though some traditionalists still age longer.[9] The typical bodega owns anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 oak barrels.[11]

The use of oak in white wine has declined significantly in recent times when before the norm was traditionally 2–5 years in oak. This created slightly oxidized wines with flavors of caramel, coffee, and roasted nuts that did not appeal to a large market of consumers with some of the more negative examples showing characteristics of rubber and petrol flavors. Today the focus of white wine makers has been to enhance the vibrancy and fruit flavors of the wine.[11]

Some winemakers utilize a derivative of carbonic maceration in which whole clusters are placed in large open vats allowed to ferment inside the individual grape berries, without the addition of yeast, for a few days before they are crushed.[4]

In the 1960s, Bodegas Rioja Santiago developed the first bottled version of the wine punch Sangría, based on Rioja wine, and exhibited it at the 1964 New York World's Fair. An import subsidiary of Pepsi Cola purchased the rights to the wine and began marketing it worldwide.[12]

In Spain, wineries are commonly referred to as bodegas though this term may also refer to a wine cellar or warehouse. For quite some time, the Rioja wine industry has been dominated by local family vineyards and co-operatives that have bought the grapes and make the wine. Some bodegas would buy fermented wine from the co-ops and age the wine to sell under their own label. In recent times there has been more emphasis on securing vineyard land and making estate bottled wines from the bodegas.[10]

The wine drenched participants of the Batalla de Vino in Haro

Like most Spanish wine regions, Rioja is an integral part of Spanish culture and cuisine. In the town of Haro there is an annual Wine Festival that is noted for its Batalla de Vino where participants conduct a food fight of sorts with wine.[13]

• Consejo Regulador DOC Rioja official website