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Rioja Wine

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The Rioja region of Spain produces one of the world’s finest, and most long lived wines: Rioja. Rioja's renaissance, in the latter half of the 19th century, was a direct result of the phyloxera bug that decimated vineyards around the globe. While English merchants came to Rioja to replace their French imports, the wines here actually have much more in common with Chianti. Both wines are blend relying heavily on one grape, in this case Tempranillo. Like Chianti’s Sangiovese, Tempranillo usually produces a relatively high acid wine of medium to medium-full body. Tempranillo tends to produce wines with a dusty, leathery edge to their raspberry and blackberry fruit tones. With additions of Graciano, Mazuela and Grancha the wines of Rioja can take on additional layers of flavor and aroma but the tradition of extended oak aging for Rioja's great wines contributes an even more obvious imprint. While the Spaniards have traditionally been a fan of the strong vanilla and coconut component that American oak Read more »

Ribera y Rueda: A Tale of Two Wines

Americans seem to be growing in curiosity about Spain. Numbers indicate Americans traveling to Spain are on the rise each year, while at the same time Spanish restaurants and tapas bars are spreading across the United States. There is even a growing aw...

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Spanish Wines Get Specific

As the world’s winemakers look to single vineyard wines to mark them out from the crowd, a trip through southern Spain with the Grandes Pagos de Espana took one-up-manship to a different level. Grab your passport and join me on this whistle stop tour.

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The Rise of Non-Traditional Wine Blends

Here in the United States we are on a first-name basis with our wine grapes. The majority of casual wine drinkers understand what “Merlot”, “Moscato”, and “Cabernet” mean. Nowadays “Pinot” and even “Riesling” are familiar pals too. This is largely bec...

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R. López de Heredia Tempranillo Blend Rioja Reserva Viña Bosconia (2002)

Winery: R. Lopez de Heredia
Region: Spain » Rioja » Rioja Alta
Varietal: Tempranillo
Type: Table Wines
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Mary Margaret McCamic

An elegant and refined style of Rioja - earthy, dried red fruit on the nose, with a medium-body and notes of dried herbs, dried red fruits, and savory spice on the palate.

La Rioja Alta Tempranillo Rioja Gran Reserva 904 (2001)

Winery: La Rioja Alta
Region: Spain » Rioja » Rioja Alta
Varietal: Tempranillo , Graciano
Type: Table Wines
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Gregory Dal Piaz

Just a classic Gran Reserva on the nose with dill and vanilla from American oak layered under raspberry fruit with all sorts of dried thyme, barn floor, dried grass and earthy leathery nuances adding complexity. At first this is quite lean in the mouth...

Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Riserva (2001)

Winery: Marques de Murrieta
Region: Spain » Rioja » Rioja Alavesa
Varietal: Graciano , Carignan , Grenache , Tempranillo
Type: Table Wines
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Gregory Dal Piaz

Sweet and intensely fruity on the nose. The jammy full red fruit recalls gummy bears! There’s integrate oak spice here that lends a rather cinnamon tone to the nose, but ultimately reveals a very deep and complex array of aromatics. A touch soft in the...

La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890 (2004)

Winery: La Rioja Alta
Region: Spain » Rioja » Rioja Alta
Varietal: Tempranillo
Type: Table Wines
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Gregory Dal Piaz

A bit tight on the nose with subtle notions of spicy wild berry fruits and dusty, dry leather. A little lactic, this shows some raw wood qualities on the nose, as well. The wine is almost velvety on entry and is totally integrated if a bit tight, with ...

Bodegas Montecillo Rioja Viña Cumbrero Crianza (2010)

Winery: Bodegas Montecillo
Region: Spain » Rioja » Rioja Alta
Varietal: Tempranillo
Type: Table Wines
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rckr1951

At first I was a little disappointed but as the wine opened the cherry, spice and honeyed notes started to rise up and with a little swirling it got going at the it developed into the Top 100 WS wine that it should. The honey note was particularly sati...

R. López de Heredia Tempranillo Blend Rioja Reserva Viña Bosconia (2001)

Winery: R. Lopez de Heredia
Region: Spain » Rioja » Rioja Alavesa
Varietal: Tempranillo , Grenache , Graciano
Type: Table Wines
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Gregory Dal Piaz

Earthy and funky at first with eggshell and soil notes, this blossoms slowly with raspberry and wild strawberry tones accented with dried citron peel. Light and fresh in the mouth, this shows some nutty oak up front before laying down a pure, crisp mid...

La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890 (2004)

Winery: La Rioja Alta
Region: Spain » Rioja » Rioja Alta
Varietal: Tempranillo
Type: Table Wines
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jamlani

Drinking great

Bodeagas Muga Reserva Rioja (2008)

Region: Spain » Rioja » Rioja Alta
Varietal: Tempranillo
Type: Table Wines
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Mary Margaret McCamic

Lovely dark fruit aromas with sweet and savory spices. Fuller-bodied, with ripe dark fruit and a slight leather quality.

La Rioja Alta Tempranillo Rioja Gran Reserva 904 (2001)

Winery: La Rioja Alta
Region: Spain » Rioja » Rioja Alta
Varietal: Tempranillo , Graciano
Type: Table Wines
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Ruski

Enjoyed this on 2 March, 2014. Should be noted that we had the 1994 Musar before this wine, so a tough comparison with a real classic. But this is a classic too, mid-dark ruby color turning light at the edges with an almost transparent rim. The nose is...

Roda Roda 1 Reserva (2004)

Winery: Bodegas Roda
Region: Spain » Rioja » Rioja Alta
Varietal: Tempranillo
Type: Table Wines
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CheloSpahn

Espectacular ejemplar Riojano. De un color bastante grante profundo pero a la vez denota su evolución en botella. En nariz los aromas a cedro, ceniza, tabaco y chocolate son predominantes pero la fruta en almibar no se deja opacar resaltando después de...

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Montecil Rioja Reserve
Winery: Bodegas Montecillo
Region: Spain » Rioja
Type: Table Wines

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Ricotta Gnocchi with Wild Boar Ragu

Chef De Carlo’s recipe for gnocchi is fantastic with the heady Wild Boar Ragu , but is equally delicious with a simple tomato sauce or a sage brown butter sauce . What to buy: While we tested th... Read more »

Faustino Tempranillo Rioja Faustino VII
Winery: Faustino
Region: Spain » Rioja
Type: Table Wines

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Spaghetti Pizza II

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Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Tempranillo Rioja Crianza
Winery: Bodegas Sierra Cantabria
Region: Spain » Rioja
Type: Table Wines

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Mixed-Olive Tapenade

Tapenade, an olive spread native to the South of France, is a lesson in proportions: Too much olive and it overwhelms the other elements; too little and the result is lackluster. Here the olives ba... Read more »

Bodegas Muriel Rioja Crianza
Winery: Bodegas Muriel
Region: Spain » Rioja
Type: Table Wines

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Black Pepper–Manchego Cheese Puffs

Technically called gougères, these French cheese puffs are normally made by folding lots of Gruyère into choux pastry dough for fluffy, light, cheesy bites. We changed it up by using aged Manchego,... Read more »

Bodegas Ramon Bilbao Tempranillo Rioja Limited Edition
Winery: Bodegas Ramón Bilbao
Region: Spain » Rioja » Rioja Alta
Type: Table Wines

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Basic Boneless Roasted Leg of Lamb

Gremolata, a mixture of parsley, garlic, and lemon zest, offers heat and fresh herb and citrus flavors to assertive leg of lamb. The best part of this recipe is that putting it all together for a d... Read more »

Lz Viñedos de Lanciego
Winery: Compañía de Vinos Telmo Rodríguez S.L.
Region: Spain » Rioja
Type: Table Wines

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Korean-Style Beef Tacos

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Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Crianza
Winery: Bodegas Sierra Cantabria
Region: Spain » Rioja
Type: Table Wines

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Southern Barbecued Beef Sandwiches

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Campo Viejo Tempranillo Blend Rioja Crianza
Winery: Campo Viejo
Region: Spain » Rioja
Type: Table Wines

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Recipe: Rigatoni with Shredded Pork in Mustard Cream Sauce | The Kitchn

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Bodegas Dinastia Vivanco Rioja Seleccion de Familia Crianza
Winery: Dinastia Vivanco
Region: Spain » Rioja » Rioja Alavesa
Type: Table Wines

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Thyme-Rubbed Bison Short Ribs

With its low fat content, bison can easily turn out dry and tough. Braising takes a while, but you’re rewarded with moist and meltingly tender meat. Serve these garlic- and thyme-rubbed short ribs ... Read more »

Marqués de Cáceres Rosé Blend Rioja Rosado
Winery: Bodegas Marques de Caceres
Region: Spain » Rioja » Rioja Alta
Type: Table Wines

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Beefy Manicotti

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89065Gregory Dal Piaz

1978 C.V.N.E. Vina Real Gran Reserva

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1073671Erica Landin

Top 5 wines under 15 USD tasted in Rioja

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178306Nicki Gig

I heart Spain

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455797Kyle Graynor

Easy Drinking Rioja Wines

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103444Rich Tomko

Top Everyday Tempranillos

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Mentor for Rioja Wines

Richard Jennings

Wine writer (and HR exec). I write a weekly column for Huffington Post, wine book reviews for NY Journal of Books, and my blog is http://www.RJonWine.com. I have over 38,000 tasting notes on CellarTracker, where I'm the most "favorited" TN author.

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Popular wines made in Rioja under $20

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Varietals Produced in Rioja View all

  • Grenache

    You’re a member of the ‘Rhône Ranger’ band. Your groupies think you’re ‘hot’, even when you're boozy and "strung out"...

  • Graciano

    Though it is easily the most interesting and unique red grape in Rioja, its yields are low, it is prone to downy mild...

  • Cabernet Sauvignon

    “King of the Red Wine Grapes.” The colonizer of the vineyards, pushing native wine grapes into its shadows. The Caber...

  • Tempranillo

    History of the grape: Origins of Tempranillo are murky. It could be indigenous to the Spanish countryside, or it coul...

  • Malbec

    History of the grape: Some believe Malbec is named after a Hungarian peasant who spread plantings along the French co...

  • Macabeo

    Macabeo is Spain’s most widely planted grape. From there, it has made its way to southern France’s Roussillon region,...

Subregions of Rioja

Popular Wineries in Rioja View all

  • Marqués de Riscal

    Wines of the Herederos de Marqués de Riscal has always been a leading and pioneering company i...

  • Bodegas Marques de Caceres

    The name of this wine. Marques de Caceres was lent by D. Vicente Noguera y Espinosa de los Monter...

  • Bodegas LAN

    Year… 1972. Bodegas LAN is founded and named after the initials of the 3 provinces in the Rioja D...

  • Bodegas Beronia

    Bodegas Beronia is a winery in Rioja founded in 1973 by a group from the local gastronomic soci...

  • Bodegas Ondarre,S.A.

    Bodegas Ondarre, founded in 1986, belongs to the Bodegas Olarra Group, one of the most famous nam...

  • Bodegas Olarra, S.A,

    Bodegas Olarra is located on the outskirts of Logroño, right in the heart of the Denominación de ...

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