What are the three subregions of Rioja?

There are three sub-regions in Rioja: Rioja Alta (western section, higher elevation, often seen as highest quality area with great verve and balance), Rioja Alavesa (northern section, poor soils to help keep yields down, high elevation, full bodied and high acid wines), and Rioja Baja (southeast, drier and warmer and …

How much wine is produced in Rioja?

The wine region produces 280 to 300m litres of wine annually, of which 90% is red and the rest a mixture of white and rosé.

Is Rioja light or full bodied?

Tempranillo, a red wine grape that’s indigenous to Spain, is the dominant grape in Rioja. Rioja wines are split into four classification levels: Genérico, Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva. Wines from Rioja can be medium to full-bodied, with high tannins and rich flavors of dark berries, plum, tobacco, and herb.

What percentage of Rioja grapes are red?

90.85%
As can be seen, red grapes represent 90.85% and white grapes represent 9.15%. The red grapes are distributed as follows: Tempranillo: 87.67%, Garnacha: 7.58%, Mazuelo: 2.07%, Graciano: 2.15%, Maturana tinta: 0.30% and others: 0.23%.

Is Rioja sweet or dry?

They’re generally low in acidity, with good sweetness and tannin and little to no oak. Older reds, especially reservas, are everything you want to experience in Rioja. Medium sweetness and tannin and low acidity with a medium to high oakiness.

What is the most expensive Rioja wine?

Sierra Cantabria Magico, Rioja DOCa Another offering from Sierra Cantabria is the Magico from Rioja. It may come fifth on this list but it is the most-expensive wine in the Rioja rankings, commanding an average price of $515.

Is Rioja a dry red wine?

Tempranillo grapes are used to produce the great red Spanish Rioja and Ribera del Duero wines and dry red wines of the Douro in Portugal. Acidity can range from low to high and tannins can range from soft to harsh, depending upon the grape grower and the vintner.

Is Rioja good for you?

Red wines are known to lower the bad cholesterol in your system. According to a study, the high-fiber Tempranillo red grapes, used to make certain varieties of red wines such as Rioja, lower bad cholesterol levels.

Which red wine is the strongest?

Red – California Petite Sirah, California Zinfandel, Italian Amarone, Portuguese port (fortified). Port Wine can end up with percentages as high as 20%, making them the seemingly most potent wine out there. It is said that some wines can go up to 21%, depending upon the individual bottle of wine.

Is Rioja similar to Malbec?

Argentinian malbec is now a major rival to Spanish rioja in our red affections. It shares rioja’s appealing fullness and smoothness, but it’s a bit brighter and fruitier, though not as jammy as, say, an Australian or Californian red.

Is Rioja a dry red?

Is Rioja red wine expensive?

What are the sub-regions of La Rioja?

The region of La Rioja is divided into sub-regions, which consist of Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Baja. The major difference between these sub-regions is the micro-climates and terroir in which they experience a great variety in soil types. What kind of wine is Rioja? Rioja is a red blend.

What kind of wine is in the Rioja wine region?

Tempranillo still dominates but it is now possible to choose from various Garnacha-dominated wines, a few all-Graciano bottlings and even one or two Mazuelos.

What’s the difference between Rioja Alta and Rioja Oriental?

Vineyards are sited at similar altitudes to Rioja Alta, and the macroclimate is similar. Soils tend to have more limestone than in Rioja Alta, and the wines can show more acidity. Rioja Oriental (formerly Rioja Baja) is the eastern section of the Rioja zone.

What kind of climate does Rioja Alavesa have?

Rioja Alavesa: The smallest of the sub-regions, it also experiences an Atlantic climate. In fact, it is the wettest and coolest of the three. The soils are predominantly chalky clay and are situated in terraces. The wines from this region tend to be lighter-bodied.