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Rioja is the oldest and most famous Denomination of Origin in Spain. Located in the northern part of the country, it’s bordered on the north by the mountains of the Sierra Cantabria and to the south by the Sierra de la Demanda. The region is divided into three main viticultural sub-zones: Rioja Baja, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta. A great deal of the wine produced in Rioja is traditionally made by large Rioja houses through blending grapes from all three sub-zones. The idea was, and continues to be, to produce a house style that could be duplicated every year. Most of the vineyards of Rioja are owned and maintained by small, local farmers known as cosecheros. It is these cosecheros who are changing the landscape of Rioja by coming out from under the shadows of these large operations to reveal the characteristics of their villages and their sub-zones.
Terruño
The three sub-zones are intended to define microclimates, but they also closely follow political boundaries. The map drawn by Don Manuel Ruiz Hernandez in 1972 shows the three main soil types of Rioja. This map displays the distribution of the different soils and their relationship to the the rivers of Rioja.
Rioja is defined by its main river the Ebro which runs through it and ends in the Mediterranean Sea. The two banks of the Ebro mostly divide two of the sub-zones: the right bank is composed principally of the Alta sub-zone and the left bank is composed principally of the Alavesa sub-zone. The remaining area to the south is the area known as the Baja sub-zone. Complicating the issue of the sub-zones are the rivers that create valleys as they flow into the Ebro. These valleys are full of alluvial deposits from the different rivers. The alluvial soils are the least suited for viticulture due to their fertile base. Away from the alluvial soils one finds ferrous clay areas, especially along the right bank of the Ebro. The best vineyards are on soils composed of clay calcareous components and the majority of these are on the left bank of the Ebro, but some are also in Rioja Alta, close to the shores of the Ebro River. Highlighting the fact that the sub-zones follow a close political line is the fact that part of Rioja Alta crosses the river Ebro into its left bank. Although this area is defined as part of the Alta sub-zone it is the same microclimate as the Alavesa sub-zone.
The Sub-zones
Rioja Baja
Located in the autonomous community of La Rioja, the vineyards in this area lie at the southern most part of the D.O.Ca. The region starts at Logroño and continues south. Here the climate is very Mediterranean with Garnacha being the predominant grape. The climate is generally warmer the the rest of Rioja and the soils are mostly alluvial in nature with ferrous clay outcrops.
Rioja Alavesa
This sub-zone is in the Basque autonomous region known as Alava and follows the left bank of the Ebro river. The area is protected from the harsh northern climate by the Cantabrian mountain range. The vineyards here are generally south-facing with predominantly clay calcareous soils that are responsible for creating wines with great concentration and complexity.
Rioja Alta
This sub-zone is located in the autonomous region of La Rioja. The clay calcareous soils bordering the river face north and due to their highly acidic nature tend to produce wines that are long lived. Further south the soils are alluvial with ferrous outcrops producing less structured wines.
Grapes
The grapes authorized are Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo (Cariñena) and Graciano for the reds. Malvasia, Garnacha Blanca and Viura are also authorized as white grapes either for blending in reds or as white wines on their own. Other grapes are authorized as "experimental grapes" but cannot appear on labels.
Aging Requirements
The consejo regulador set up stringent labeling requirements to help consumers be aware of different levels of quality based on the time the wine has spent at the bodega or winery. In the past these aging requirements defined the quality levels of a wine, but today these quality requirements are being circumvented by wineries by placing more importance on vineyard location than aging requirements. Many of these wines are listed as simple cosecha, or wines of the vintage, even though they are aged several years before release.
Cosecha wines are typically wines that have not been aged in oak and are released immediately after being produced. They are normally intended to be consumed within a year after their release.
Crianza wines must be aged a minimum of one year in oak and one year in the bottle before being released.
Reservas must be aged a minimum of one year in oak but two years in the bottle.
Gran Reservas must spend two full years in oak and three years aging in the bottle prior to their release.
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