The Ebro river, running from the Cantabrian Montains towards the catalan coast, is the birthplace of  Spain’s top wine producing area; Rioja. This is one of the only two regions to achieve DOCa (Denominacion de Origen Calificada) in the country. View our selection.

Rioja’s regions and grape varieties

Rioja lies in northern Spain, along the river Ebro, protected to the north by the Cantabrian Mountains. There are three main regions, Baja Rioja the warmest which lies down river south of Logrono, Alta Rioja, a cool region which lies to the west, at a high elevation, near Haro, and Alavesa, also a cool district near Haro. The last two hae the reputation of producing some of the best quality grapes in Rioja.  Although this is predominantly red wine country using mostly Tempranillo but also some Garnacha and Mazuelo, many growers produce white wine as well, made from Viura (Macabeo). Most of the large Bodegas buy in grapes, but some of the smaller producers run their estates along the lines of a French Château, growing their own fruit.

Rioja’s style

There are several styles of Rioja, a basic level which has little or no wood ageing; Crianza, which spends a year in oak and then one year in bottle; Reserva, one year in oak and the two years in bottle; and Gran Reserva, two years in oak and then three more in bottle before being sold.