Rioja is my current obsession. Wandering the aisles of Total Wine & More one afternoon with my husband we stumbled across a Rioja and decided to grab it. My first reaction when we sipped the wine was “I forgot how much I love a good Rioja!”. Begin the Rioja obsession.
Rioja is the most popular Spanish wine in the US market. Like South American wines, you can easily find a good Rioja for under $20 that is pretty fantastic. No wonder it is so popular. Quick wine lesson: Rioja means the wine is a blend made up of predominantly the Tempranillo varietal. Tempranillo is a unique varietal native to the Rioja region. It was born and cultivated there and the grapes from this region make the best Riojas. Rioja can taste similar to Cabernet Sauvignon in that it is complex and heavy, but with cherry characteristic.
Rioja is classified in four different levels based on the time spent in oak barrels.
1. Rioja
2. Crianza
3. Reserva
4. Gran Reserva
The first Rioja is the shortest amount of time spent in oak whereas the Reserva has a minimum of three years in the barrel.The Riojas will be lighter and less complex and can taste “young,” but the Reserva will have stronger and richer flavor notes.
Now that we have a little info on Rioja, lets get to a few bottles that I think are must-trys.
First one up is LAN Rioja Crianza 2013 (number 2 on the above list). I found this bottle at Whole Foods and for $15 I couldn’t pass it up. Thankfully I grabbed it. This was a perfectly balanced Rioja with smokey notes and ripe berry. LAN Rioja is full bodied with a lot going on. Silky smooth with an everlasting finish. A must try!
Mindiartee Rioja Reserva 2012 (number 3 on the time spent in bottle list) runs about $10 at Trader Joe’s. This particular Rioja is more similar to Cabernet. Like Cabernet, the tannins are present as well as notes of darker fruit and some subtle oak. A great example of how different Riojas can be.
Make a little paella, pour some Rioja and get a little taste of Spanish viticulture!
The Wandering Blonde Wine O 