For this, my final week in Spain, I’ll be exploring Spain most famous region – Rioja. Rioja, the Denominacion de Origen Calificada (DOC) located in Spain’s northern region, is also one of Spain oldest. Indeed, there is evidence that wine was produced in the region going all the way back to the days of the Phoenicians in the 9th century. The greater Rioja DOC is split into three subregions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa, and Rioja Baja. Rioja Alta is at a higher elevation than the other two subregions and generally produces more “old world” style wines. Rioja Alavesa has a similar climate to Rioja Alta but different soil, which generally produces wines of higher acidity. Rioja Baja is the warmest and driest of the subregions and produces wines that are most often used as blending components in other wines.
The most common red grape variety in Rioja is Tempranillo with fairly large amounts of Garnacha Tinta, Graciano and Mazuelo also making their way into Rioja wines. There are four categories of Rioja wines: (1) “Rioja,” which spends less than a year in oak, (2) “Crianza,” which is aged at least two years, one of which must be in oak, (3) “Rioja Reserva,” which is aged at least three years, one of which must be in oak, and (4) “Rioja Gran Reserva,” which must be aged at least two years in oak and three years in bottle.
As for this week’s wines, here’s the lineup:
First, we have a 2006 Bodegas Bilbainas Vino Zaco, which was chosen as one of Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2009. You can find it at the Wine House for just $11.99/bottle.
Next, is a 2001 Campo Viejo Gran Reserva, which was given 90 points by Wine Enthusiast and is available at K&L Wine Merchants for just $14.99/bottle.
Finally, is a 2004 Conde de Valdemar Reserva, which garnered 90 points from Wine Advocate and is available at wine.com for $18.49/bottle.
