Map The Wine

Map / Spain

Rioja

Spain's best-known red wine region, on the upper Ebro river, famous for oak-aged Tempranillo.

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The shaded area contains the region, and the rounded shape shows its rough extent; the gold dot marks its centre. Drag to pan, or use the buttons or Ctrl and scroll to zoom. Other regions of Spain are linked on the map.

Where it is

Rioja lies in northern Spain along the Ebro, mostly in La Rioja, with parts in the Basque Country (Rioja Alavesa) and Navarra. It has three subzones: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental (formerly Rioja Baja). In 1991 Rioja became Spain's first DOCa.

Land and climate

The Sierra de Cantabria and the Sierra de la Demanda shelter the vineyards. Rioja Alta and Alavesa are cooler and Atlantic-influenced, while Rioja Oriental is warmer and drier. Soils are clay, limestone and alluvial.

Grapes and wines

Tempranillo leads, blended with Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo. Viura is the main white. The aging classes are Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, which have minimum periods in oak and bottle, and American oak is traditional.