Rioja D.O.Ca

Rioja (pronounced [ˈrjoxa]) is a wine region in Spain, with denominación de origen calificada. D.O.Ca., “Qualified Designation of Origin,” the highest category in Spanish wine regulation. Rioja wine is made from grapes grown in the autonomous communities of La Rioja and Navarre, and the Basque province of Álava. Rioja is further subdivided into three zones: Rioja Alta, Rioja Oriental and Rioja Alavesa. Many wines have traditionally blended fruit from all three regions, though there is a slow growth in single-zone wines
History:
• The earliest written evidence of the existence of the grape in La Rioja dates to 873, in the form of a document from the Public Notary of San Millán dealing with a donation to the San Andrés de Trepeana (Treviana) Monastery. As was the case in many Mediterranean lands in mediaeval times, monks were the main practitioners of winemaking in La Rioja and great advocates of its virtues.
• In the year 1063, the first documented report of viticulture in La Rioja appears in the “Carta de población de Longares” (Letter to the Settlers of Longares).
• The King of Navarra and Aragon gave the first legal recognition of Rioja wine in 1102
• There are proofs of Rioja wine export towards other regions as early as the late 13th century, which testifies the beginnings of a commercial production.
• In 1560, harvesters from Longares chose a symbol to represent the quality of the wines.
• In 1635, the mayor of Logroño prohibited the passing of carts through streets near wine cellars, in case the vibrations caused a deterioration of the quality of the wine.
• In 1650, the first document to protect the quality of Rioja wines was drawn up.
• In 1790, at the inaugural meeting of the Real Sociedad Económica de Cosecheros de La Rioja (Royal Economic Society of Rioja Winegrowers), many initiatives as to how to construct, fix, and maintain the roads and other forms of access for transportation of wine were discussed. The Society was established to promote the cultivation and commercialisation of Rioja wines and 52 Rioja localities participated.
• In 1892, the Viticulture and Enology Station of Haro was founded for quality-control purposes.
• In 1902, a Royal Decree determining the origin of Rioja wines is promulgated.
• The Consejo Regulador (Regulating Council) was created in 1926 with the objective of limiting the zones of production, expanding the warranty of the wine and controlling the use of the name “Rioja”.
• This Council became legally structured in 1945 and was finally inaugurated in 1953.
• In 1970 the Regulations for denominación de origen were approved as well as Regulations for the Regulating Council.
• In 1991, the prestigious “Calificada” (Qualified) nomination was awarded to La Rioja, making it Spain’s first denominación de origen calificada (DOCa).
• In 2008, the Regulating Council for the La Rioja Denomination of Origin created a new logo to go on all bottles of wine produced under this designation. From now on bottles of wine from the La Rioja Qualified Denomination of Origin will no longer bear the familiar logo. In an attempt to appeal to younger wine-lovers, the long-standing logo will now be replaced with a brighter, more modern logo with cleaner lines. The aim is to reflect the new, modern aspects of wine-growing in La Rioja without detracting from the traditional wines. In theory, the new logo represents a Tempranillo vine symbolising “heritage, creativity and dynamism”.
• In 2017, the DOCa Rioja, in this process of continuous improvement, enriched its current offer by regularizing and incorporating new indications (Singular Vineyards, Zone Wines, Municipality Wines, Quality Sparkling White and Sparkling Wines) with the traditional aging ones.
• In 2018, Rioja launched its new global brand message, ‘Saber quién eres’, where tradition, diversity and origin become protagonist attributes.

Sub-Regions:
Rioja Alta is located on the western edge of the region and at higher elevations than the other areas, the Rioja Alta is known more for its “old world” style of wine. A higher elevation equates to a shorter growing season, which in turn produces brighter fruit flavours and a wine that is lighter on the palate.

Rioja Alaves is in the province of Álava in the Basque Country, on the northern bank of the River Ebro. Despite sharing a similar climate as the Alta region, the Rioja Alavesa produces wines with a fuller body and higher acidity. Vineyards in the area have a low vine density with large spacing between rows. This is due to the relatively poor conditions of the soil with the vines needing more distance from each other and less competition for the nutrients in the surrounding soil. The “old vines” of the Alavesa regions can produce very concentrated grapes but in low yields.

Rioja Oriental (formerly known as Rioja Baja) is unlike the more continental climate of the Alta and Alavesa, the Rioja Oriental is strongly influenced by a Mediterranean climate which makes this area the warmest and driest of the Rioja. In the summer months, drought can be a significant viticultural hazard, though since the late 1990s irrigation has been permitted. Temperatures in the summer typically reach 35 °C. A number of the vineyards are actually located in nearby Navarra but the wine produced from those grapes belongs to the Rioja appellation. Unlike the typically pale Rioja wine, Oriental wines are very deeply coloured and can be highly alcoholic. They typically do not have much acidity or aroma and are generally used as blending components with wines from other parts of the Rioja.

Grape Varieties:
The traditional varieties authorized by the Regulating Council of the D.O.Ca. Rioja since its foundation in 1925 have been seven, four red and three white:
• Red varieties: Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo (also known as Cariñena) and Graciano.
• White varieties: Viura (also known as Macabeo), Malvasía and Garnacha Blanca.

New Authorised Grape Varieties:
In 2007, the Regulating Council of the D.O.Ca. Rioja authorized, for the first time since 1925, the incorporation of some additional varieties within the limits of the denomination.
The currently permitted additional varieties are the following:
• Red varieties:
• Indigenous varieties: Maturana Tinta, (also called Maturana Parda or Maturano)
• White varieties:
• Indigenous varieties: Maturana Blanca, Tempranillo Blanco and Turruntés or Torrontés (not the same as the varieties named Torrontés cultivated in other parts of Spain and the rest of the world).
• Foreign varieties: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo.
These new authorized varieties can only be planted in substitution, so as not to increase the vegetable mass of the Denomination.
In the case of the new autochthonous varieties, both red and white, no limit is set on the percentage that the wines must carry, which is why the production of single varietal wines of these grapes is allowed. On the contrary, in the foreign white varieties (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo) it is established that they can not be the predominant ones in the final composition of the wine. Therefore, if the varieties are indicated on the label, the autochthonous white variety (Viura, Garnacha Blanca, Malvasía de Rioja, Maturana Blanca, Tempranillo Blanco or Turruntés) must always be listed first.
The incorporation of these new varieties was made with the aim of recovering Rioja’s viticultural heritage, in the case of autochthonous grapes, and to increase the competitiveness of Rioja whites in the international market, in the case of foreign white varieties.
Traditionally, Rioja wine has been made by assembling different types of grape varieties, although nowadays it is also very common to find monovarietal wines.
• Red wines: In red wines made from shelled grapes, at least 95% of the Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Graciano, Mazuelo and Maturana Tinta varieties must be used. In red wines made from whole grapes, this percentage must be at least 85%.
• White wines: Only grapes of the varieties Viura, Garnacha Blanca, Malvasía, Maturana Blanca, Tempranillo Blanco and Turruntés can be used. Grapes of the Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo varieties can also be used as long as they are not the predominant variety in the final product.
• Rosé wines: A minimum of 25% of Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Graciano, Mazuelo and Maturana Tinta grapes must be used. In the case that Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or Verdejo varieties are used, they can’t be the predominant variety in the final product.

Production Methods;
• Red wines. There are two methods of production: the one of carbonic maceration (traditional of the harvesters, for its early commerce) and another one in which the stem of the cluster is eliminated before the fermentation (used by the winery companies, to destine them to Crianza).
• White wines. The grape passes entirely to the drainer, the scrapes and skins are eliminated, and the grape juice obtained enters the tanks for fermentation.
• Pink wines. The grapes pass to be destemmed and slightly crushed, proceeding to the maceration of the liquid with the skins. The grape juice obtained is decanted before entering the fermentation tanks.

Classification;
The ageing is carried out in 225-liter oak barrels for a period ranging from 1 to 3 years, and later in the bottle itself for a period of 6 months to 6 years.
Depending on the time the wine remains in the barrel it is classified as:
• Crianza:
• In red wines, the period of aging in oak barrels and bottles must be a minimum of two calendar years from 1 October of the year of the harvest in question, followed and complemented by aging in the bottle. The minimum time that must remain in the barrel is one year.
• In the case of whites and rosés, the total time is the same as for reds, but only a minimum of six months in barrels is mandatory.
• Reserva:
• In red wines, the period of aging in oak barrels and bottles must be a minimum of thirty-six months, with a minimum time of twelve months in oak barrels.
• In the case of whites and rosés, the total time between aging in oak barrels and bottles must be a minimum period of twenty-four months, with a minimum aging period of six months in oak barrels.
• Gran Reserva:
• In red wines, the wine must have a minimum time in barrel of twenty-four months, followed and supplemented with an aging in bottle of at least thirty-six months.
• In the case of whites and rosés: aging in oak barrels and bottles for a total period of at least forty-eight months, with a minimum aging period in oak barrels of six months.

In 2018, the Regulating Council released new classification rules for Rioja, in an attempt to encourage championship of regional microclimates and put a greater focus on singular vineyard sites. This amended system, similar to Burgundy grading, moves Rioja from being focused primarily on aging and oaking to a more all encompassing system, respecting the terroir of the vineyards and allowing labels to display the village or municipality of origin on the front label.