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Get 10% off 6 still wines. Enter code SAVE10 during checkout. Excludes some fine wine and Sparkling.
Get 10% off 6 still wines. Enter code SAVE10 during checkout. Excludes some fine wine and Sparkling.
October is Rioja Month, and we're spending it with eight producers who show just how varied the region can be.
Most people know Rioja by the ageing terms on the label. Fewer know that it's three distinct areas. Rioja Alta sits in the west, the largest and most Atlantic-influenced. Rioja Alavesa lies north of the Ebro in the Basque Country, on chalky slopes under the Sierra de Cantabria. Rioja Oriental runs east towards Navarra, where it's warmer, drier and Garnacha comes into its own.
Altitude, soil and climate all change what ends up in the glass. The producers below cover all of it, from historic Haro houses to biodynamic growers working village by village, with plenty of white Rioja along the way.
The west of the region, cooler and more Atlantic, home to Rioja's great historic houses.
Haro, Rioja Alta
Founded in 1890 in Haro's Barrio de la Estación, La Rioja Alta is the benchmark for traditional Rioja. They still make their own American oak barrels on site and release wines only when they're ready. The Gran Reserva 890 is the house's top wine: Tempranillo with a little Graciano and Mazuelo from old vines around Briñas, Labastida and Villalba, given long years in barrel. 2010 was an exceptional vintage, and it shows in the wine's finesse and length.
Logroño, Rioja Alta
Established in 1852, Murrieta is one of Rioja's founding houses. Everything comes from the Ygay estate, 300 hectares of vines on calcareous clay surrounding the winery at the southern tip of Rioja Alta. The Gran Reserva 2016 blends Tempranillo with Graciano and Mazuelo and spends 26 months in American oak. Expect cherry and ripe plum with tea leaf, cedar and Mediterranean herbs, and polished tannins that will carry it for years.
On the Ebro, Rioja Alta
A single estate set on a sweeping bend of the Ebro, and the only Rioja to be a member of the Grandes Pagos de España, an association of Spain's great single estates. The Reserva is silky and layered, with blackberry, dark cherry, liquorice and tobacco over fine tannins. Cantos de Valpiedra, its younger sibling, is pure Tempranillo with a cool, mineral finish, and very good value.
Cuzcurrita de Río Tirón, Rioja Alta
On Rioja's cool north-western edge, the Urbina family has been making wine since 1870. What makes them special is patience. They hold their wines back until they're properly mature, so the Reserva Especial and Gran Reserva Especial arrive fully developed: figs, dried cherry, cigar box, leather and soft, velvety tannins. Their Viura whites are just as rewarding, from a crisp, unoaked bottling to a barrel-aged Crianza that has taken on real depth with age.
Iregua valley, Rioja Alta
High in the Iregua valley, Nivarius makes only white wine, which is almost unheard of in Rioja. La Nevera is 100% Maturana Blanca, a rare native grape that had all but disappeared from the region. It's fresh and taut, with apple, pear and quince, a salty edge and a touch of beeswax. If you think of white Rioja as heavily oaked and golden, this will change your mind.
North of the Ebro, in the Basque Country: high vineyards on poor limestone soils.
Elvillar, Rioja Alavesa
David Sampedro and Melanie Hickman farm biodynamically in Elvillar, where horses have replaced tractors in the vineyard since 2014. The estate became Demeter certified in 2022, and Tim Atkin MW named Bhilar his Winemaker of the Year in 2020. The Bhilar Tinto is fermented with native yeasts in concrete and aged in French oak of different sizes: hedgerow berries, thyme and rosemary, with chalky, fine-grained tannins. Phincas Thousand Mils shows the same light touch in white.
Labastida, Rioja Alavesa
Founded by monks in the 14th century, Remelluri was bought by Jaime Rodríguez in 1967. His children Telmo and Amaia took over in 2010, cut production by a third and have farmed organically ever since. The Reserva is savoury and earthy, with red fruit and crisp acidity. Lindes de Remelluri Labastida is a village wine from 11 local growers, and the Blanco is a field blend of seven grapes: citrus zest, wild herbs and wet stones.
The warm, dry east, where Garnacha thrives.
Murillo de Río Leza, Rioja Oriental
Paco García's home town is where Tempranillo Blanco was discovered in 1988, and their La Ponza is one of the best examples we know. The range runs from the juicy, easy-going Seis to single-vineyard wines. Cantamilano comes from a plateau around 500 metres up and shows what Garnacha can do at altitude: strawberry, red cherry, orange peel and orange blossom, silky and fresh. Give it half an hour in the fridge.
Our Free Friday Tastings go Rioja for October. They're free and informal, 5pm to 7pm, with no need to book.
Friday 9 October: Climbing the Ladder
One producer, one grape, four ageing levels, from Joven to Gran Reserva.
Friday 16 October: Rioja in White
From crisp, unoaked Viura to barrel-aged whites and rare native grapes like Maturana Blanca and Tempranillo Blanco.
Friday 23 October: Three Riojas
A red from each corner of the region, side by side.
The traditional terms tell you how long a red wine has been aged before release:
| Crianza | At least two years, one of them in oak |
| Reserva | At least three years, one of them in oak |
| Gran Reserva | At least five years, two of them in oak |
Since 2017, Rioja labels can also name a place: Vino de Zona for one of the three sub-regions, Vino de Municipio for a single village, and Viñedo Singular for an individual vineyard with old vines and strict yields. Look out for all of them on the wines above.
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