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In the DOC: Celebrating Rioja at 100

As the new president – and first female head – of the Denominación de Origen regulatory council, Pérez Cuevas certainly looked the part in terms of ringing in the changes, clad in vibrant red among the many black tie-attired men. And these changes were apparent over the three days of tasting and exploration of Rioja’s offer too. Flights and talks were honed to show and celebrate the diversity of the wines, with some older vintages – back to a 1964 Monte Real Crianza – also folding in the region’s more traditional face.

Attendees were reminded that Rioja has one of the largest concentrations of old vines in the world, and that its 100km stretch also contains a host of red and white varieties that can and increasingly do make superb standalone styles, from Garnacha to Benedicto, by way of Tempranillo Blanco, Maturana Blanco and much else besides.

The wines themselves, whether more traditional blends or leaning to the modern in style, have become fresher, with greater emphasis on site and soil, and markers such as Conterno’s Olivo – the first individual vineyard winery – helping tell the story of how a new generation of winemakers and wines came to be in the ascendancy.

The Benedicto, which, along with Albillo Mayor, has been identified as one of the parents of Tempranillo, was from Luis Cañas, which has a major ‘varietal recovery project’ underway, and which stands as a testimony to change and rediscovery in the region.

“What is really interesting is that this is part of a bigger movement in Rioja, smaller producers, also looking at regenerative agriculture, looking at different styles of wine,” said Beth Willard MW.

“It’s also important that a larger-scale producer is doing something on a smaller scale, and what is wonderful is that this Benedicto wine speaks of the past, but with so much potential for the future.”

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Evolving scene

Also presenting, Pedro Ballesteros MW elaborated on how Spain “entered the global wine market late” among the big producing European nations, post the Franco years, suggesting this meant that Rioja had to catch up in terms of the sophistication of the industry and its wines. Describing the evolving scene in Spain’s flagship region, he made it sound as if the old rulebook had been torn up – not quite the case, but the point about the current diversity was firmly made.

“When studying for the Master of Wine, [they say] ‘Bordeaux is like this, Brunello is like this, Rioja is like this’, but no, no, no – please change that perception. The thing about wine is that we are not subject to any dogmas, any rules,” he said.

“To say ‘this is a Rioja wine’ means nothing, you see the diversity that we have here,” added Ballesteros – an assertion that was again borne out by the wine selections attendees tasted.

One such was a Valcuerna Rosado from around the small village of Cordovín, which has a very old tradition of producing rosado wines from Garnacha Tinto and Viura, described as “one of the wonders of Rioja”. This clarete style was quite the antidote for those who had only seen the region through the lens of old-school Rioja.

“If you don’t like any of the wines you taste today, then don’t come to Rioja, because you don’t like Rioja,” was Ballesteros’s playfully cheeky conclusion.

Back to the elevation of Pérez and, as most agreed, this certainly bodes well for the direction that Rioja is currently headed in, with innovation and change being embraced, all to the good of the excitement and quality that the region is delivering in the glass.

Perhaps the wine which most perfectly captured this mood of modernity, but with an eye too on tradition, was the Santalba Veinticinco Vendimias, which, as the name suggests, blends in 25 vintages, and this from a few small plots. At once expressive of its micro-terroirs, yet nodding toward old-school Rioja with its mellow drinkability, this ‘all change, back to the future’ wine was yet another marker as to just how much Rioja has now embraced the myriad possibilities in its venerable DOCa territory.

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