Rioja under Review
Rioja Today: More Than the Familiar Crianza and Reserva
What comes to mind when you think of Rioja? Smooth, rounded reds with a bit of vanilla oakiness? Well, that’s pretty much on the money, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Rioja is far and away Spain’s best-known wine region and, while it is still often seen as a bastion of tradition, that picture has changed considerably over the last decade or so. Alongside time-honoured winemaking, with its strictly defined periods of barrel and bottle ageing, producers are making fresher, more fruit-led wines and putting greater emphasis on grape variety and place. Traditional and more contemporary approaches now happily co-exist, so the old Rioja shorthand no longer tells the whole story. Here, we’ve put six wines in the spotlight to show what’s going on in Rioja today.
With 10% off these wines until the end of November, here’s an opportunity to explore a bit further.
A traditional, elegant Reserva combining dark fruit, spice and silky tannins
CVNE Imperial Reserva
Singles £31.50 £28.35, Mixed 6 £28.50 £25.65
In Rioja, the rules are strict. A wine labelled 'Reserva' must be aged for at least three years, including a minimum of one year in oak. CVNE’s Imperial Reserva goes further, spending 24 months in a mix of French and American barrels. That brings cedar and spice alongside the vanilla character you’d expect from a traditional Reserva.
Ripe red fruit, cedar and spice from the cooler Rioja Alavesa
Luis Canas Crianza
Singles £21.90 £19.70, Mixed 6 £19.90 £17.90
Crianza is Rioja’s middle ground: a red that must spend at least a year in oak, but usually keeps more of its fresh fruit character than a Reserva. All Luis Cañas’ vineyard plots are in Rioja Alavesa, where chalky-clay soils and the shelter of the Sierra Cantabria help retain freshness and structure. A 60/40 split of French and American oak brings cedar, spice and a touch of vanilla to the ripe red fruit.
Bright, juicy, unoaked Tempranillo from Rioja Alta
Vega del Rayo Tempranillo
Singles £10.50 £9.45, Mixed 6 £9.50 £8.55
Riojas aren’t always barrel aged. Made from 100% Tempranillo and left unoaked, this is all about bright, unadorned fruit: juicy cherry and raspberry, a sprinkling of spice and soft tannins. It’s a modern, everyday Rioja made for drinking now, showing the fresher, more easy-going side of the region.
A generous, fruit-forward Rioja from the village of Quel
Queirón Mi Lugar Vino de Quel
Singles £30.90 £27.80, Mixed 6 £27.90 £25.10
Rioja’s newer 'Vino de Pueblo' rules put place alongside ageing. All the fruit for this wine comes from vineyards around one village — Quel, in Rioja Oriental — rather than being blended from across the region. It is Tempranillo-led, with 10% Garnacha adding ripe, generous fruit, then aged for two years mainly in French oak. There is plenty of Rioja’s familiar spice and structure here, but dark cherry and plum sit more firmly at the centre.
Fresh, citrusy Viura showing Rioja’s lighter, brighter side
CVNE Monopole Blanco
Singles £10.90 £9.80, Mixed 6 £9.90 £8.90
If you tasted this blind, Rioja might not be your first guess. Made from Viura and left unoaked, this is bright and citrusy, with juicy lemon, green apple and a hint of white flowers. It shows a side of the region that is increasingly hard to ignore: crisp, fresh white wines made for drinking young.
Textured old-vine white Rioja with gentle oak and fresh acidity
Finca Manzanos 1890 Blanco Vinas Viejas
Singles £18.50 £16.65, Mixed 6 £16.50 £14.85
A more textured take on white Rioja, made from old-vine Viura with a little Tempranillo Blanco. Four months on its lees in French and American oak adds gentle creaminess and spice to peach, citrus and tropical fruit. Fresh acidity and a silky texture make it especially good with grilled fish or salty Spanish-style dishes.
From fresh, fruit-led bottles to long-aged classics, Rioja has plenty more to offer than its familiar reputation suggests.