Rioja DOCa 2

The newest version of the Rioja DOCa quality system has made a bold move away from just ageing wines. The latest regulations allow winemakers to use the village name on the label to allow for the subtle differences in micro-climate to be identified by where the wine was made. While there are still the three main areas of Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental (meaning ‘East’) there are now 145 municipalities that can be used to identify the origin. To understand variation within the entire Rioja region, Rioja Oriental wines tend to be cheaper bulk wines with a handful of richer Tempranillo based red wines. This area has higher rainfall on lower slopes that are not protected by the mountains. Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa wines are more elegant with better acid and tannin structure from blending of other varieties which also means they will age for much longer. These regions are higher altitude creating a cooler climate with less rainfall due to being protected by the mountains. This climate creates much more concentrated flavours and increases acidity. There is also the possibility of naming a single vineyard, similar to a Burgundy Domaine. These changes will certainly make the region more difficult to understand but its aim is to encourage ‘terroir’ based wines of quality.