rioja, spain, tempranillo -

rioja

Imagine you're a pilgrim in the 900s. Yes, the 900s not the 1900s. You set off from France from Paris or the volcanic town of Le Puy-en-Velay or St-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the Pyrenees. Your mission is to view the relics of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela on the Atlantic Coast in Galicia. There are songs, stories, prayers as you walk. There also has to be wine because it's a long, long trek, but where to get it from?

The pilgrims encountered several wine regions as they walked, and one of them was Rioja. Producers discovered the pilgrims too, and sold their wines in leather bags made from goat skins: stamping the name Rioja on them was the first example of branding a wine region.

It made Rioja the most famous region in Spain, the pilgrims going back and forth spreading the name of the wines. That tradition continued for 900 years until phylloxera hit France. Producers in south-west France, most notably Bordeaux, needed an alternative source of grapes for their wines. Rioja, not far from France, was the Spanish region they knew about and they bought grapes and wines from the region to sell through the 1860s.

The Bordeaux producers transformed Rioja, with an attention on site, the introduction of oak, and the concept of ageing. Although there have been different trends since then, the Bordeaux influence is still felt especially in the use of oak for maturation.

When producers began ageing their wines in oak in the nineteenth century it was American, as they couldn't afford French. American oak remains an important factor in a lot—though not all—of Rioja wine. It provides characteristic coconut, dill aromas which distinguishes them from most other European wines. 

Two recent additions to blackpoolmatt's wine club are perfect examples of the classic style of Rioja. Ramirez de la Piscina is an old favorite of mine. There's a long history of grape-growing, with the first vintage in 1961. The 2019 Crianza is a combination of American and French oak, aged for fourteen months, with a vibrant acidity which balances the mature aromas.

La Rioja Alta is another favorite producer who began making wine in 1890. Named after one of the sub-regions of Rioja, the higher elevation plantings give a light freshness to the wines, some of which are aged for years. "Viña Alberdi," with its colorful label, is also from 2019 and is perfect with so many weekday food dishes like pasta or pizza. It's all aged in American oak, a textbook example of Rioja.

Both wines are 100% Tempranillo, aged in oak but not for too long, with a ripe fruit profile integrated with the mature, oak aromas. In short, everything I love about Rioja and its history. 

 


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