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Rioja

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Rioja's three sub-zones and aging tiers, four of its grapes, American oak and three verified houses.

All levels81 min13 stepsAbout Rioja DOCa

Part of Spain

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  1. Rioja DOCa

    Region10 minWatch

    Start with Rioja, Spain's first DOCa, spread across three sub-zones along the Ebro.

  2. Rioja Alta

    Region7 min

    Begin the sub-zones with Rioja Alta in the west, where Haro's Barrio de la Estación gathers historic bodegas.

  3. Rioja Alavesa

    Region8 min

    Cross to the Ebro's northern bank for Rioja Alavesa, the Basque sub-zone and the coolest of the three.

  4. Rioja Oriental

    Region8 min

    Then Rioja Oriental, the warmer eastern end of the valley, renamed from Rioja Baja in 2018, where Garnacha is the emblematic variety.

  5. Tempranillo

    Grape4 minWatch

    Now the grapes, starting with Tempranillo, named for temprano (early) because it ripens ahead of most Spanish reds.

  6. Grenache / Garnacha

    Grape6 minWatch

    Next, Garnacha, which WSET lists as one of the primary red grapes of Rioja, with Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo.

  7. Tempranillo vs Garnacha

    Comparison7 min

    Tempranillo vs Grenache / Garnacha

    Compare Tempranillo and Garnacha on viticulture, flavor, structure and aging classification.

  8. Graciano

    Grape4 min

    Then Graciano, considered native to Rioja, deeply colored and high in acidity, now recovering after decades of uprooting.

  9. Viura / Macabeo

    Grape3 min

    Turn to white Rioja with Viura, the Rioja name for Macabeo, native to the Ebro Valley.

  10. American Oak (Quercus alba)

    Wine term6 min

    See why American oak, higher in oak lactones and vanillin than French oak, remains part of classic Rioja winemaking.

  11. Bodegas Muga

    Producer6 min

    Now producers: a Haro family bodega founded in 1932 that keeps its own master cooper.

  12. Contino (Viñedos del Contino)

    Producer6 min

    Contino, founded in 1973 by CVNE and the estate's owners, with wines only from its Finca San Rafael vineyards in Rioja Alavesa.

  13. Sierra Cantabria: The Eguren Family Bodega in the Sonsierra

    Producer6 min

    Finish with the Eguren family's Sierra Cantabria, established in 1957 in San Vicente de la Sonsierra.

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