Rioja’s Centennial Celebrations

Pedro Ballasteros MW led two masterclasses. The first celebrated the diversity of 100km of the region. One of the unifying characteristics is the ability to age wonderfully, helped by fine tannins and the acidity of Tempranillo and its blending partners - usually Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo. The reds can be fruit-forward and vanilla-scented, caused by the American oak they have used for so long (a product of economics initially, but something that gave Rioja its signature nose), and they can also be austere and elegant, high-altitude examples of Tempranillo with restrained use of older French oak barrels. The spectrum is wide and full. Their whites, usually made primarily from Viura, cover a wide stylistic range too, depending on the use or not of oak in the ageing. They hold their own against plenty of Chardonnays from other top regions.

Many producers don’t make their top-tier wine every year - sometimes it’s not more than once or twice a decade.. Gran reservas are downgraded to reserva if the makers don’t think they quite live up to expectation, and some will hold on to wines for many years when it cannot be profitable to do this - Bodega Vinícola Real have a white wine, 200 Monges, that has been aged for 16 years. It will be released this year. 

And just a quick note on the food - at the gala dinner the Consejo spoiled us with dishes from each of the Michelin-starred restaurants in the region and there are quite a handful. The food was superb and is another good reason to visit. 

The second masterclass told the story of the last hundred years through the wineries that contributed the most to the history (there weren’t any 100-year-old wines, but several going back 50 years. One was the 1956 Marques de Riscal, which was elegant and reminiscent of wild strawberries, and the 1986 Castillo de Ygay from Murrieta had a bouquet I could have lost myself in for years and was both rich and structured, full of honey and mushrooms. At dinner, the 1964 Monte Real from Bodegas Riojanas and the 1978 Gran Zaco from Bodegas Bilbainas were served. Rioja can stand up to anything from France and Italy when it comes to ageing potential, and usually for much better value than the competition.