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Rioja
10 of 13 steps verified
Rioja's three sub-zones and aging tiers, four of its grapes, American oak and three verified houses.
All levels 91 min 13 steps About Rioja DOCa
Part of Spain
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Start with Rioja, Spain's first DOCa, spread across three sub-zones along the Ebro.
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Begin the sub-zones with Rioja Alta in the west, where Haro's Barrio de la Estación gathers historic bodegas.
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Cross to the Ebro's northern bank for Rioja Alavesa, the Basque sub-zone and the coolest of the three.
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Then Rioja Oriental, the warmer eastern end of the valley, renamed from Rioja Baja in 2018, where Garnacha is the emblematic variety.
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Now the grapes, starting with Tempranillo, named for temprano (early) because it ripens ahead of most Spanish reds.
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Next, Garnacha, which WSET lists as one of the primary red grapes of Rioja, with Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo.
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Tempranillo vs Grenache / Garnacha
Compare Tempranillo and Garnacha on viticulture, flavor, structure and aging classification.
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Then Graciano, considered native to Rioja, deeply colored and high in acidity, now recovering after decades of uprooting.
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Turn to white Rioja with Viura, the Rioja name for Macabeo, native to the Ebro Valley.
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See why American oak, higher in oak lactones and vanillin than French oak, remains part of classic Rioja winemaking.
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Now producers: a Haro family bodega founded in 1932 that keeps its own master cooper.
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Contino, founded in 1973 by CVNE and the estate's owners, with wines only from its Finca San Rafael vineyards in Rioja Alavesa.
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Sierra Cantabria: The Eguren Family Bodega in the Sonsierra
Finish with the Eguren family's Sierra Cantabria, established in 1957 in San Vicente de la Sonsierra.
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