For many wine lovers, Rioja is synonymous with the most Spanish wine. It is truly a wine paradise that attracts everyone who loves the drink of the gods. At the end of July, we embarked on our long-awaited tour of the bodegas (as wineries are known in Spain). Since the outbreak of the pandemic, many have closed to visitors, but not all.
In two days we visited two wineries, drank at least 3 litres of wine for two people and learned how to judge a wine by its fine aroma, tannins, colour and aftertaste. We also learned what it's like to live in an empty hotel and wake up to a view of rows of elegant vineyards.
WHERE TO STAY?
The beauty of travelling through Rioja is that vineyards are everywhere. Every inch of land is used for its intended purpose. So, wherever you stay, you are bound to find at least fifty bodegas within a 5km radius. We booked a hotel in the town of San Asensio, between the two larger towns of Logroño and Haro. The latter is home to three wineries that are among the world's top producers and highly prized by collectors. These are Bodegas Muga, Bodegas Martinez Lacuesta (for vermouth lovers) and Bodegas Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia.
We chose the hotel by eye, figuring that it would take no more than 20 minutes to get to all the bodegas we had planned. By the way, you need a car to get around Rioja. Otherwise it is impossible to get from one small town to another. I suppose there is public transportation between towns, but the schedule is very informal :)
Having booked a room with a wonderful view of the vineyards, we did not realise that we would be the owners of the whole hotel! Due to the low tourist season, there were no other guests in our accommodation. The receptionist handed us the keys and left us to enjoy the stunning watercolour view.
A BIT OF HISTORY
So why is Rioja the Mecca of wine? It is said that vines were first cultivated in this region by the ancient Romans, who once settled in the valley of the Ebro River. With their help, the locals learned how to make wine and began to produce it. Over the centuries, they improved the product, but until the 19th century, winemaking here was exclusively local. Rioja was "helped" by the phylloxera epidemic. When the vineyards of France (Europe's dominant winemaking nation) were destroyed, winemakers began importing grapes from other countries and looking for new land to plant. This part of Spain, with its climate and soil characteristics, attracted the Bordeaux merchants. And soon the whole of Europe was talking about Rioja wines.
Wines began to be actively exported, including to Bordeaux. But 30 years later, phylloxera arrived in Spain... It was a difficult time for the winegrowers, but their efforts were not in vain. Rioja had already become a symbol of winemaking. Today it produces a wide variety of wines - red, white, rosé and sparkling, young and aged. And all of them are undoubtedly of the highest quality.
Rioja is divided into 3 sub-regions:
Upper (Rioja Alta)
Eastern (Rioja Orientale) or Lower (Rioja Baja).
Alavesa (Rioja Alavesa)
In the different sub-regions there are vineyards that are better adapted to the local conditions. For example, we found ourselves in La Rioja. Here the soil has more clay, more iron and less limestone than in neighbouring areas. It is a great place to make elegant wines with balanced acidity.
In Eastern Rioja, conditions are drier and there is a greater proportion of the Garnacha variety, which produces fuller, sweeter wines with a higher alcohol content. In Alaves, the vineyards are at a higher altitude and the temperatures are lower than in eastern Rioja. As a result, Alaves wines have a brighter flavour but higher acidity.
WINERY TOUR URBINA
We began our immersion into the wine business with Bodegas Urbina, which has been producing wine from its own vineyards for over 150 years and exports 80% of its production worldwide. The URBINA brand produces classic, elegant and refined wines with great ageing potential.
The history of the winery dates back to 1870, when Salvador Urbina moved to Cuscurritu del Rio Tirón, planted his first vineyards and enjoyed his first bumper harvest. Señor Urbina's sons, Ciriaco and Paquita, continued the business, and his grandchildren, Pedro and Jesús Ángel, modernised the production and began making wine in stainless steel tanks.
We learnt all this on a group tour. In the space of an hour, we had time to visit the production hall, learn about the process of growing grapes, its peculiarities and vinification (the transformation of grapes into wine). We were told that, despite the modern equipment, the juice for wine production is preferably obtained under the influence of the berries' own weight. The old-fashioned way, without the use of mechanical presses.
Once fermentation is complete, the wine is put into barrels for further ageing. This process can take from a few weeks to several years.
Another characteristic of Rioja wines is the way in which they are aged. As early as the 12th century, it was recognised that ageing in barrels has a significant effect: the wine acquires new aromas and bitter tannins, becoming more complete and interesting. Wines are aged here in French and American oak barrels. These are considered to be the best for the production of premium wines: French oak imparts subtle and elegant aromas of vanilla and clove, while American oak gives the wine a rich flavour.
It is curious that in a single year the Urbina wineries produce 300,000 bottles of red wine and 50,000 bottles of white wine and rosé. As far as variety is concerned, the Urbina brothers are not resting on their fathers' laurels. Today they produce 8 types of wine, each of which we were able to taste at the end of the visit.
Beginning with light - young wines (they are aged for no more than half a year), we have gradually moved on to the "pearls" of Urbina's production - multi-year wines. The following terms are used for Spanish aged wines:
Crianza - a category of wines aged in casks for at least 6 months.
Reserva - a minimum of 1 year for red wines and 6 months for white wines.
Gran Reserva - at least 2 years in oak for red wines.
The process of tasting is a pleasant and fascinating one. Not surprisingly, we spent an hour and a half tasting instead of the supposed thirty minutes. Unfortunately, the tasting does not even include a minimal aperitif, so the only thing you can think about after this experience is lunch! Luckily, there is an Aker restaurant across the street that serves fresh seafood, local and Catalan dishes.
WINERY TOUR LECEA
The next morning we started in the vineyards of the LECEA winery. Accompanied by our curator, we found ourselves among the lush rows of vines and learned a lot of interesting things. For example, that there are 17,000 vineyards in Rioja, more than 600 wineries and about 300 families that have been making wine for more than three centuries! Our narrator's family is one of them, the fourth generation of winemakers.
Today, Luis Alberto Lesea is at the head of the winery. Under his guidance, no less than 8 types of wine are produced from different grape varieties. Virois, Malvasia, Chardonnay for the white wines and Grenache and Mazuelo for the red wines.
The second part of our personal walk was a lovely picnic in the middle of the vineyards with local delicacies and LECEA rosé. Incidentally, of all the places we had called and planned to visit, this was the only place we were offered such a "delicious" option. It was an unforgettable brunch with homemade delicacies: tomato salad, classic tortilla, sausages, jamon and cheese. .... With a refreshing LECEA rosé, we laughed at every last crumb!
If you want to triple your Rioja trip, choose September or early October. Not only can you learn about how grapes are grown and harvested, but you can take part in this magical process!
The last and final part of the tour is a visit to the 16th century wine cellars. After descending to a depth of 14 metres, we found ourselves in an ancient cave where all the wines of the Lyceum family have been stored for 4 centuries. The temperature is 13º all year round, so we were advised to bring a jumper.
We walked slowly down the narrow corridors of the cellar, looking at the walls of barrels, mountains of ancient wines. The dim lamps, covered with a layer of dust, created a special atmosphere. We involuntarily thought that we had stepped back in time and that a moustachioed winemaker with a bottle of wine was about to come around the corner. Such a trip is the best way not only to learn about the history of winemaking, but also to feel it with your whole being.
We only spent two days in Rioja. But even this small amount of time is enough to realise that wine is truly a living drink! It can tell you where the vines grew and developed, what mountains and valleys were around, what soils nourished the vineyard, how long the drink spent in an oak barrel and what flavours unfolded in it.
Rioja wines contain a special secret code, information that the connoisseur can decipher and enjoy to the full.
