What’s Your Rioja Style?

28 Aug

Purple grapes and a bottle of red Rioja and a glass of white being poured.

What's Your Rioja Style?

The hills of La Rioja, lined with vineyards and a castle at the top — *The hills of La Rioja*

Most people meet Rioja through red wine, the region's calling card. Tempranillo commonly leads the blend, bringing cherry, plum and raspberry flavours & also lends itself to oak aging creating distinctive & iconic stylistic changes. However there is much more to the region's offerings, through whites & roses to orange wines & lusciously sweet dessert wines.

In part this is due to changes in 2007 since Rioja DOCa now permits the use of 14 grape varieties. At this time one additional red variety & six additional white varieties were added to the traditional range of just seven (4 reds & 3 whites). There were a number of reasons that the Conseca, the regulating body, did this. Among the reasons being a need for more drought resistance varieties in response to changing weather patterns but also their recognition of the commerciality of allowing experimentation with Chardonnay & Sauvignon Blanc, varieties already familiar to consumers and winemakers.

I have put together this simple guide to help navigate the seemingly endless permutations of colour, grape varieties & length of ageing that you discover when you first start delving deeper into the cornucopia that is Riojan wine. I hope that I can help to find your Rioja style.

Two people cheersing glasses of red wine

Rioja Tinto

With red Rioja the first thing is to consider the aging which can be easily identified by the coloured labels on the back of the bottles.

Joven

The Young Fun One

Joven (meaning "young") is Rioja at its freshest. These wines are packed with juicy cherry, raspberry and plum flavours, with little or no time spent in oak barrels. They're vibrant, fruity and delightfully uncomplicated.

It's cheerful, it's easy-going. It simply wants to be opened, poured and enjoyed & in tune with that vibe, it works perfectly with the most casual of foods, charcuterie, tomato based dishes & fried tapas.

Crianza

The Graduate

Crianza is what happens when youthful fruit gets a little polish. A year in oak barrels (followed by a year in bottle) brings gentle flavours of vanilla, cinnamon and toasted spice while keeping all those lovely berry notes intact.

Expect lively fruit alongside gentle vanilla, toast and spice. This is the dependable dinner-party bottle, interesting enough to discuss, easy enough to drink.

It will still work well with the informal dishes but is grown up enough to compliment the likes of roast pork, lamb chops & moderately rich mushroom & chorizo stews.

Reserva

The Sophisticated One

The mood deepens. These wines must be aged for at least 3 years with a minimum of one year in oak.

Someone holding a bottle of Reserva wine, with lots of glasses of poured wine in the background — *Leza Garcia Reserva*

Longer maturation generally produces smoother textures and savoury flavours such as leather, dried fruit, cedar and tobacco. Pour it with roast lamb, rich mushrooms dishes or a gloriously excessive cheeseboard. Please, however, avoid excessive chilli or very sweet sauces which will obscure the wine's more mature character.

Gran Reserva

The Wise Old Rioja

Made only in the best vintages & aged for a minimum of 5 years with at least 18 months in oak.

A large glass of Gran Reserva wine with the bottle placed slightly behind on top of a table — *Beronia Gran Reserva*

Made only in suitable years and matured extensively, it can offer remarkable complexity: dried cherry, forest floor, spice, polished wood and all sorts of intriguing, hard-to-name aromas. Choose it when the occasion or dinner deserves ceremony, but don’t save it forever.

Use the same pairing suggestions as with the Reserva but turn it up a notch. Think along the lines of the more opulent: venison, game, truffle & very mature cheeses.

A bottle of Nube White Rioja, with several poured glasses to the left of the bottle — *Nube de Garcia, Semi Dulce*

Rioja Blanco

Over the years we have surprised and delighted hundreds of customers with white Rioja. It is traditionally made primarily with Viura (Macabeo) but as mentioned above since 2007 the doors have been opened so that the winemakers now have a palette of seven different white grape varieties to work with.

Younger styles are fresh and zesty with citrus, apple and pear, while oak-aged versions become creamy, nutty and wonderfully textured. As with red Rioja, white Rioja has the same series of age classifications but with different rules & is never required to have more than 6 months in oak. The addition of different grapes to the blend can also add wonderful nuances to the wine. For example, Malvasia will bring softness & citrus blossom to a wine while Sauvignon Blanc brings its signature acidity & vivid aromatics such as grapefruit, lime & sometimes grassiness to the party.

Young white Rioja is great on its own but also brilliant with seafood, roast chicken, summer salads and light rice dishes.

Traditionally found in a blue bottle & hugely popular in Spain, for its sweetness without full pudding mode, try a semi-dulce white Rioja. These semi-sweet wines balance ripe fruit and residual sugar with refreshing acidity, making them friendly partners for blue cheese, fruit tarts or spicier tapas. They are also a perfect aperitif for those who prefer a less dry wine.

Rioja Rosado

Rioja makes some seriously stylish examples of rose wine, much to the surprise of many.

Unlike many pale rosés, Rioja Rosado often has a little more personality but without the sweetness associated with darker roses. Expect flavours of strawberries, raspberries, watermelon and juicy peach, balanced by bright freshness and just enough body to make it feel satisfying.

Bottle of Rose wine next to a poured glass with the beach in the background. — *Navajas Rosado*

Pair it with grilled prawns, salads, tapas or simply a bowl of olives and good company. Better still, don't wait for summer. Rosado has a remarkable talent for bringing a little sunshine to even the greyest Tuesday.

For a more robust rose for food pairing there are some very good oak aged roses but they are not for the faint hearted.

Orange Rioja

Not made from citrus fruit! Orange wine is made by fermenting white grapes with their skins, giving the wine its beautiful amber colour, extra texture and distinctive character.

Jim holding two bottle of the Orange Leza Garcia — *Orange Leza Garcia*

Expect flavours of dried apricot, orange peel, herbs, tea and gentle spice.

It's the wine equivalent of finding an independent café before it appears on everyone's Instagram feed. Slightly quirky? Yes. Conversation starter? Definitely.

Serve it with spicy food, strong cheeses or friends who enjoy discovering something new.

Riojan Dessert Wine

A bottle of Marco Fabio Dessert wine. — *Marco Fabio Dessert Wine*

Less famous than their counterparts from France, Germany & Australia but charming in their own way. Rich flavours of honey, apricot, caramel and citrus are balanced by refreshing acidity, making them wonderfully elegant rather than overly sweet.

Pair one with blue cheese, fruit tart or almond cake, or skip dessert altogether and simply pour yourself a small glass to finish the evening in style.

So… what is your Rioja Style?

Style is knowing what suits the moment & that moment is yours. The only real rule? Don't be intimidated by the labels. Wine should be fun, not a test. Use my little guide, or not. Experiment & enjoy!

Zoe

View Rioja Menu & Guide

Found your Rioja Style?

Come and try it! This September, we're taking our love of La Rioja from the page to the table.

Man holding up Rioja Wine next to rioja Flight and board of Jamon — Ethan enjoying our Rioja flight

Throughout the month, our restaurants will be serving our Rioja wine menu, featuring a selection of wines that you wouldn't normally find available by the glass – plus two Rioja wine flights so you can taste your way through the region.

Pair your Rioja with our September La Rioja-inspired food special:

🫑 Pimientos del Piquillo Rellenos

Sweet, smoky roasted piquillo peppers, stuffed and served with a creamy tarragon béchamel.

So, which Rioja will you choose?

Our special Rioja menu is available throughout September so book your table and discover your Rioja style for yourself.

Book your Table

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