La Rioja

It has been said that the wine of La Rioja in Spain is "the best wine in the world in terms of value for money." This region in the north of Spain produces red, white and rosé wines, as well as the idiosyncratic clarete. The red wines are those of most interest.
	La Rioja, a Region in the North of Spain.
More of this Feature • Part 2: Selecting a Rioja • Part 3: Some Facts  Related Resources • Cava "La Rioja" in Spain means two things - the region and the province. Within the region of La Rioja, there are three areas with a slightly different climate and soil. These are the Rioja Alta (Upper Rioja, capital Haro), to the west, the Rioja Baja (Lower Rioja, capital Logroño) to the east and the Rioja Alavesa to the north, outside the province of La Rioja altogether. Wine from the Rioja Alavesa is characteristically made from the tempranillo grape and is fruity and good drunk young. The Rioja Baja produces wines from the garnacha grape which tend to be heavy and have a high alcohol content. The Rioja Alta produces the most sophisticated wines, usually based on the tempranillo grape variety. They tend to be delicate in flavour and mature well, and are the wines of most interest to collectors. La Rioja wine is classified into four types, according to its quality and aging. Except for the wine labelled "Garantia de Origen," known as vino joven, this takes place first in oak barrels and then in the bottle. There is no point in aging a wine which will not benefit from it, so the grape selection process is crucial. For red wine, the types are: Aged in barrels Aged in bottles Vino joven Vino de crianza min. 1 year min. 6 months Vino de reserva min. 1 year min. 2 years Vino de gran reserva min. 2 years min 3 years Next page > Choosing a Rioja > Page 1, 2, 3