What Is Rioja Wine?

By Author: Deborah Smith
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Wine in Spain is marked third across the country for production after France and Italy. The Northeastern division of Spain which is the Rioja Region produces one of the best Spanish wines. This is comprised of three sub-regions that are Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa. Each zone has its own unique flavor of grapes. The climate and quality in the soil in each of these three subzones influences the class and also character of its grapes. Nearly all Rioja wine is created using a mix of grapes from different subzones, though other Spanish wineries make their wine from just one area. Tempranillo grapes are the most typical type of grapes which are created using Rioja wines.

These varieties of grapes gives the wine unique flavor. Tempranillo grapes are blended with Grenache or locally grown grapes called Mazeulo although some Rioja wines are completely made with Grenache grapes alone. The flavor of Grenache is less fruity and they have a higher alcohol content. There are three categories of Rioja Wines and these are Crianza, Reserva and also the Gran Reserva. Crianza is by far the most affordable one and is viewed ...
... as table wine. What they usually do is age this for just a year inside the oak barrel and another year in the bottle. Cost is around five or ten dollars. The next level of Rioja wines is the Reserva. This stays in the barrel for just a year and two years in the bottle. This will amount to around eleven to fifteen US dollars. Gran Reserva is aged the longest - it is inside the barrel for 2 years and in the bottle for three years.

This can be a bit pricey. Since it requires too much time to age, this isn't offered every year. So it really is suggested that you simply stock two or three bottles to keep for special occasions. We can compare the Rioja wine with the Italian Chianti. This kind of wine is best-known for its unique flavor. Now, the Rioja wine is certainly one of the most well-liked wines in the world.

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