Rioja
Rioja is Spain's largest wine region, along the Ebro River, and what appears on the label mainly refers to aging: crianza, reserva, or gran reserva. When you think of Rioja, you quickly think of red wine, but they also make delicious white wine.
Wine by type
Rioja isn't the only wine on the shelf. Four pages closely related to it, from the broader story of red wine to Spanish sparkling wine.
Red wine
The broader story of which Rioja is one chapter: the grapes, what oak aging does to them, and the temperature at which to serve it.
About red wine →Verdejo
The other Spanish white, made from the grape from Rueda that is often harvested from the vine at night.
About Verdejo →
Merlot
A fairly large grape with a relatively thin skin, resulting in less color and less tannin than cabernet sauvignon.
About Merlot →
Cava
The Spanish sparkling wine from Catalonia, made with the same second fermentation in the bottle as champagne.
About Cava →One region along the Ebro, three subregions
Rioja is Spain's largest and most important wine region, located in the north along the Ebro River. Its vineyards cover around 62,000 hectares, and it was the first Spanish region to receive DOCa status, the highest quality designation. The climate is a mix of Mediterranean, continental, and Atlantic influences; the soils range from limestone and clay to iron-rich earth. The region is divided into three subregions. Rioja Alta in the west produces fresh, elegant wines with good acidity and aging potential thanks to its elevation. Rioja Alavesa borders the Basque Country to the north and produces refined, aromatic wines with a somewhat lighter body. Rioja Oriental, formerly called Rioja Baja, is the warmest and driest area and produces fuller, more powerful wines, often with garnacha.
Red wine revolves around tempranillo, the dark-skinned grape known for its refined structure and aging potential: robust and full-bodied, yet surprisingly elegant. Garnacha, mazuelo and graciano are also used in blends to add extra power, color or aroma. For white wine, viura, also known as macabeo, malvasía and garnacha blanca are the main grapes. Anything else on the label refers not to the grape but to the aging. A crianza has aged for at least two years before going on sale, part of that time in oak. A reserva ages for at least three years, including at least one year in wood. A gran reserva takes at least five years, including around two years in barrel followed by several more years in bottle. These periods apply to red wine.
In brief
Six bottles, from crianza to white rioja
A red rioja almost always says crianza, reserva or gran reserva on the label, and that word indicates how long the wine has aged. At the bottom of this list are the two white wines, as those exist too.
Cune Rioja Crianza
Made from 85 percent tempranillo, complemented by garnacha and mazuelo, and aged in oak barrels. Dark fruit with a hint of vanilla, making it an easy introduction.
Torres Altos Ibéricos Crianza
A crianza made exclusively from tempranillo, with black fruit, spice and vanilla. Fuller-bodied than the previous bottle and clearly made to accompany meat.
Glorioso Rioja Reserva
One hundred percent tempranillo from Rioja Alavesa, aged for 22 months in French oak. Powerful yet delicate, with elegant tannins and ripe dark fruit with ginger and cinnamon.
Faustino I Gran Reserva
The only bottle here with graciano in the blend, it first ages for 38 months in American oak and then for another three years in the bodega's cellars. Complex, with vanilla, blueberries, tobacco, spices and the scent of cigar boxes.
Cune Rioja Blanco Barrel Fermented
White rioja made from the viura grape and aged in oak. This oak aging gives the wine additional aromas and makes the flavor richer and rounder.
Glorioso Rioja Blanco
Made from viura too, and rich and sunny without being heavy: flowers, apple, citrus and a little toasted bread. The finish is surprisingly full-bodied and almost creamy.
If you're not looking for a still wine but for a Spanish sparkling wine, you'll end up with cava from Penedès in Catalonia.
Dark fruit and vanilla, with tannins that soften
Dark fruit & vanilla
Cherries, strawberries and plums, underpinned by a hint of vanilla or coconut from the oak. The longer the bottle has aged, the more tobacco, spices and cinnamon appear alongside the fruit.
Firm, full-bodied and yet elegant
Tempranillo is firm and full-bodied yet surprisingly elegant, with a refined structure. In a reserva or gran reserva, the tannins feel noticeably rounder than in a young bottle.
Long and spicy
Spices, dried fruit and oak linger; in a gran reserva, blackberries, figs and tobacco join them. White rioja finishes fresh and citrusy, and after oak aging becomes full-bodied and almost creamy.
Flavor profile of an average red rioja. A white rioja scores much higher on freshness and much lower on power.
How to serve rioja
Red wine belongs in the glass just below room temperature, white wine chilled, and an aged bottle needs a little air first.
Red at 16 to 18 degrees
Tempranillo is at its best between 16 and 18 degrees, just below room temperature. A powerful, full-bodied bottle that is served too warm loses its fruitiness and lets the alcohol dominate; fifteen minutes in the fridge will solve that. Serving it too cold has the opposite effect: you smell less and the acidity takes over.
Into the glasses →Let it breathe
A young rioja can be poured straight away, but a reserva or gran reserva often benefits from thirty to sixty minutes of aeration. Decanting literally means pouring from one vessel into another, giving the wine more oxygen; then let it stand for half an hour to three hours. If an old bottle has a lot of sediment, stand it upright a day in advance.
Decanting carafes →Chilled white, and with food
Serve a fresh, fruity white Rioja at 8 to 10 degrees; a bottle aged in wood can usually be served slightly less chilled. Red pairs well with tapas, grilled meat, chorizo or a stew with peppers, while white is better with chicken, poultry, creamy pasta or a salad.
To the bottles →Cocktails with wine
Rioja is hardly ever used in a cocktail; it is too much of a wine for that. These four come closest: two Spanish wine drinks and two spritzes made with sparkling wine.
Sangria
Red wine with fruit, orange and plenty of ice, the best-known way to mix wine.
Tinto de Verano
Red wine topped up with soda and lemon, the summer drink of the Spanish terrace.
Aperol Spritz
Aperol, sparkling wine and a splash of soda water, with a slice of orange.
Hugo Spritz
Elderflower syrup, sparkling wine, soda water and mint over lots of ice.The right glass for Rioja
Pour the red into a large red wine glass so the aromas can develop properly; for the white, choose a smaller bowl. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything you still wanted to know about Rioja
Can't find your question here? Check out our cocktail recipes or get in touch.
To the cocktail recipes →