Wine Education: Rioja

Wine Tasting at all FOUR locations

Taste Muga Reserva Rioja  at all four of our locations this Saturday, 
August 17 from 11am-4pm.

(each store will also have other wines out to taste)

A little more education: We are going to try to feature either a grape or a wine region each week at our stores. We will give you some background information on the grape or region and feature a wine that highlights what we are featuring. We will taste that wine on Saturday at all four of our locations. We will post it here in our blog and send it out in our emails - click here to sign up for our emails

We have started a new label "Education" that you can hit to read all the education articles (see the right column under the heading "labels".

Wine Region: Rioja
Rioja, the most famous wine region in Spain, lies mostly within the autonomous community of La Rioja in the north of the country. The region is thought to derive its name from the Oja River (el Rio Oja), a tributary of the Ebro.

The diversity of the terroir is reflected in Rioja's wines, which range from easy-drinking, young reds to more rustic, fuller styles which are capable of being cellared for many years. Rioja's claim to fame is Tempranillo, Spain's classic grape variety, which thrives on the clay- and limestone-based soils of the best vineyard sites. Nevertheless, most of the wines are typically blends, in which Garnacha is employed to add its distinctive power and perfume. Garnacha is also used in Rioja's rosé wines, as well as in various others.  Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano also find their way into Rioja wines, although in smaller quantities. Cabernet Sauvignon also finds favor as a blending partner for those who are authorized to use it.

Rioja red wines are classified into four categories:

• Wines simply labeled Rioja or Joven, are the youngest, spending less than a year in an oak aging barrel.
• Crianza is a wine aged for at least two years, at least one of which was in oak.
• Rioja Reserva is aged for at least three years, of which at least one year is in oak.
• Rioja Gran Reserva wines have been aged at least two years in oak and three years in bottle.

Reserva and Gran Reserva wines are not necessarily produced each year.