Appellation: Rioja
La Rioja · Spain
Climate data isn't shown for Rioja because it spans several administrative areas with materially different climates (La Rioja, Álava (País Vasco), Navarra) — the DOCa runs west to east across three administrative areas, from Rioja Alta to Rioja Baja. A single value would misrepresent it.
- Dry red (Tempranillo-based, oak-aged)
- Dry and traditional white
Grapes of Rioja
Spain's most famous wine region, known for Tempranillo-based reds defined as much by oak aging as by grape.
Rioja, in north-central Spain along the Ebro river, blends Tempranillo with Garnacha and smaller amounts of Graciano and Mazuelo. As much as any grape, the region's identity comes from extended aging in oak — traditionally American oak — which lends its reds their signature vanilla, dill, and savory complexity.
The classification by aging — Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva — tells you how long a wine matured before release. Styles range from bright and modern to the mellow, tertiary character of long-aged traditional Gran Reservas, with the best capable of decades in bottle.
Production is recorded by region, not by appellation.