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| courtesy of Cellar Tours http://www.cellartours.com/spain/spanish-wine-maps |
Rioja used to be having the whole Spanish fine wine market, but those days are now gone. It has faced uncertainty in its style and climate problems. In the northwest the vines could not have ripened because of the Atlantic winds, but fortunately the Sierra de Cantabria protected most vineyards except those in high altitude from that. But in the east because of the Mediterranean the harvest can be four to six weeks earlier.
It is divided into three zones: Rioja Alta is the western, higher part south of River Ebro. Rioja Alavesa, with its Basque background, is literally another country but with a lot of new bodegas. Rioja Baja is on the eastern side, always being treated as inferior but not always the truth.
The soils in Rioja Baja are even more varied than Rioja Alta and the vines more sparsely cultivated, of soft clay and limestone plus alluvial deposits. In Rioja Alta there is more clay and Rioja Alavesa more limestone.
Tempranillo is by far the most important grape in Rioja. It blends well with Garnacha. Graciano is a fine but finicky Rioja specialty. Mazuelo (Carignan) is allowed and also experimentation with Cabernet Sauvignon is tolerated to a small degree. 
The region has been producing great wines since the late 19th century, with Marques de Riscal and Murrieta established already. With the influx of 
Until the 1970s most Rioja were juicy wines made by small farmers, and the wines were fermented and aged in old American oak, resulting in pale wines sweet in vanilla that was a waste of the great grapes of high quality. This is further worsened by the increase in yields by many growers. Recently there is a revision in winemaking techniques which makes the maceration a longer process, but the bottling was done earlier, after spending the time in French oak rather than American. The wines thus now are deeper and fruitier, more modern in style. There is also a rise in single estate wine, with the growing and bottling increasingly combined. 
About a seventh of the grapes is white, almost all Viura supplemented by a few Malvasia and Garnacha Blanca. Easy to drink, neutral with a fresh cut is what the majority is aimed for, but it is a pity because the traditional Rioja white, the oak-aged enriched and refined for a decade or two in barrel and bottle, can challenge the greatest whites in Bordeaux
A good Rioja Gran Reserva that I had recently:
Wine: Marques de Riscal Gran Reserva
Region / Country: Rioja , Spain
Vintage: 2001
Grape: Tempranillo blend with Graciano and Mazuelo
ABV: 14%
Price: HK$600
Tasting Date: 19 November 2011
Wineshark Score: 93
Deep ruby in colour, this Rioja Gran Reserva has a fairly intense developing nose of oak, vanilla, blackberry, liquorice, cigarette, savory, cinnamon and chocolate. Medium in acidity and tannin, the wine is of medium body and has fairly intense flavors of oak, blackberry, cinnamon, liquorice, cigarette and savory. Fairly long in length, the wine is of very good quality with the intense nose and palate showing complex characters. Overall very well balanced and with a smooth and rounded texture. Ready to drink now and has potential of ageing for another 8-10 years.
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