La Rioja is a land of history, light and color, vines and wheat and above all, people for whom friendship is the greatest possible treasure," once stated the Rioja Minister of Tourism. Indeed, Rioja is a special land, etched by history and endowed by a special wine, also known as Rioja, that is as warm, friendly, and distinctive as the people of this unique land. In addition, Rioja is the most approachable and recognized name in Spanish wine.
Vineyards have always influenced the history and character of the people in the Rioja. Long before France was a bastion of fine wine, the Romans had pushed inland from the Mediterranean to the headwaters of the Ebro River and its tiny tributary, Rio Oja, from which the region derives its name. In Rioja the Romans found ideal conditions for the cultivation of the vine - and quite possibly even the Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano and Garnacha (Grenache) grapes that today constitute the red wine of Rioja. Some French historians even claim that Cabernet, the world's most renowned red grape varietal, originated in Rioja rather than in Bordeaux, some 150 miles to the north.
For centuries, the fortunes of the Rioja moved with the political and social landscape of Europe. After the collapse of Imperial Rome came the usual succession of invaders, reading like a litany of destruction across the pages of Western Civilization. Yet, the Rioja flourished, in spite of its pivotal position at the crossroads of Christianity and Islam; and it emerged intact after a countless array of mediaeval squabbles. On the road to Compostella, mediaeval Europe's greatest pilgrimage site, Rioja was a welcome respite and remains today a treasure trove of gothic castles, grandiose churches and beautiful monasteries. Indeed, one of the greatest contributions to Spanish culture has its origins in Rioja: Castilian Spanish. First written by the Spanish priest, Gonzalo de Berceo, in the Riojan monastery at San Milan, Spanish is now spoken by over 300 million people around the world.
However, like most of the great viticultural regions of Europe, the face of modern Rioja was cast during the 19th century. With the hope of escaping the twin scourge of oidium and phylloxera that had struck Bordeaux, many successful Bordeaux growers began moving south across the Pyrenees to the Rioja in the 1860s and 1870s. With them flowed the capital and the expertise to enrich and improve the already splendid vineyards of Rioja. These transplanted Bordelais instituted extended barrel ageing, which remains the signature of the finest Rioja wines. Even today, modern Rioja spends more time in small oak barrels than almost any other modern wine. And, like Bordeaux, the red wine of Rioja is a blend of up to four premium grapes: Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano, and Grenache (also known in Spain as Garnacha). This unique blend of grapes, coupled with a long, lavish hiatus in small, American oak barrels called barriques, produces a warm, very dry, but richly fruity red wine of great finesse and perfume that can be nearly immortal in great vintages.
Today, Rioja is a growing viticutural region. It encompasses some 60,000 hectares (132,000 acres), divided into three distinct zones: Rioja Alavesa, Rioja Alta, and Rioja Baja. However, what may come as a surprise to many is that the name Rioja can be afforded to either the red or white wines of La Rioja. However, production of red wine in the Rioja far outpaces that of white wine. Moreover, some critics would be quick to add that it is not only in sheer quantity that the region's red wine or tinto surpasses the white, but in overall consistency and quality as well. However, there are many fine white Rioja wines available. The permitted grape varieties for white Rioja are Viura, Malavasia, and Garnacha Blanca (White Grenache). Like its red counterpart, traditional white Rioja often receives considerable barrel ageing.
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