La Rioja

If you are thinking of buying a wine to keep for a few years, remember that there is no point in buying a young wine - the production process has not prepared it for further aging.
	A Wine Merchant's Shop Window
More of this Feature • Part 1: The Wine • Part 3: Some Facts  Related Resources • Cava Neither are you likely to get very good results from a crianza, though it will last better. The wines made for aging are the reservas and gran reservas. A good Rioja will continue to improve for up to fifteen or twenty years in the bottle. Without actually tasting the wine, the most important element to look for when you are choosing one (not just a Rioja) is the winery. The more reputable the winery, the more zealously they care for their good name. The next thing to look for is the type and the last thing the year. Comparative tables of good and bad years are useful, but however good the harvest in a particular year, if the winery is not up to it, neither will the wine be, and a more mediocre vintage from a better winery is likely to be better value. For those who like that sort of information, these are the qualities for La Rioja, 1981-2005: Year Vintage Quality 1981 Excellent 1982 Outstanding 1983 Good 1984 Poor 1985 Good 1986 Good 1987 Excellent 1988 Good 1989 Good 1990 Good 1991 Excellent 1992 Good 1993 Good 1994 Outstanding 1995 Outstanding 1996 Excellent 1997 Good 1998 Excellent 1999 Good 2000 Good 2001 Outstanding 2002 Good 2003 Good 2004 Outstanding 2005 Outstanding Source: Anuario El País, 2000-2007 (translating regular as "poor," bueno as "good," muy bueno as "excellent" and excelente as "outstanding"). There are over 2,000 wineries registered in La Rioja, so listing them all is not feasible, nor would it be especially helpful. But names to watch out for include Bodegas Berberana, Bodegas Bilbainas, Bodegas Muga, Cune, La Rioja Alta, Marqués de Murrieta and Unión Viti-Vinícola. Although Riojas are good value for money, and while there are many Riojas in the bottom, vino de mesa, range (€3-5 a bottle, maybe even less), Rioja is too well known and too important as a wine exporting region for you to expect to find real bargains. First-class Riojas are priced at €30-60 a bottle (or more). Whether you are a wine expert or a novice, a visit to a winery is a pleasant and instructive way to spend a couple of hours. Most of the Rioja wineries are pleased to escort people round their establishments (on working days, avoid holidays and weekends), but do arrange the visit beforehand - many of these businesses are fed up with people turning up on spec and may not even be civil.  Bodegas Bilbainas Estación, 3 26200 Haro Tel: (34) 941 310147 Fax: (34) 941 310706 Bodegas Muga Av Vizcaya, s/n 26200 Haro Tel: (34) 941 310498 Fax: (34) 941 312867 C.V.N.E. Costa del Vino, 21 26200 Haro Tel: (34) 941 310650 Fax: (34) 941 312819   Marqués de Murrieta Finca Ygay, Crta Zaragoza, km 5  26006 Logroño Tel: (34) 941 258100 Fax: (34) 941 251606 Marqués de Riscal Torrea, 1 01340 ELCIEGO, Alava Tel: (34) 941-106000 Fax: (34) 941-106023   La Rioja Alta Av Vizcaya, 8 26200 Haro Tel: (34) 941 310250 Fax: (34) 941 312854 Apart from these, there is a wine museum in Logroño, the capital of the province of La Rioja and another in the official wine laboratory, the Estación Enológica, in Haro, the capital of the Rioja Alta.  Next page > Some History and Facts > Page 1, 2, 3