It’s Time to Get to Know Rioja

• By WineBottleMag
• August 30, 2025
• Rioja Time
• With 0 comments

No region is more synonymous with Spanish wine than Rioja. Sprawling along the Ebro river in North Central Spain, Rioja has built its reputation on red wines that balance elegance and power.

Though it most often stars its signature Tempranillo grape, these red blends can include other varietals like Garnacha and Graciano. They’re celebrated for their ageability and complexity, most of which comes from the region’s distinct aging classifications.

Unlike other wine regions, where hierarchy is exclusively built around terroir or vineyard quality, Rioja’s system centers around how long a wine ages in barrel and bottle before its released to the market. The aging framework, which ranges from the Crianza label’s two total years to Gran Reserva’s five total years, is a promise to the consumer that each bottle meets the region’s standards for excellence.

Though age is the main hierarchy through which Rioja wines are labeled, Elaine Chukan Brown, WE Writer at Large and reviewer of wines from Rioja, sees Spanish winemakers becoming increasingly interested in conveying terroir, especially in the sub-regions of Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa. “Tempranillo built to age remains an important part of the region. At the same time, a move from a notion of house style, historically common there, is shifting to a focus on nuances of place in the region,” they say. “New designations point to wine made from a specific village, or niche area of the region, as well as single vineyard wines.”

While Rioja’s reds might be the main attraction, its white, rosé and sparkling offerings have been steadily gaining traction with consumers for their crisp, floral profiles.

Whether you want to explore this rising crop of lighter wines or learn more about the region’s robust reds, we’ve outlined everything you need to know on the wines of Rioja below, with corresponding bottles handpicked from our tasting department.

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Crianza

Of Rioja’s red wine aging designations, Crianzas have the shortest time requirement, needing to have spent a total of two years aging in both bottle or barrel (at least one year in oak) before being released. This period allows Tempranillo’s black-fruit aromas of plum, cherry and currant to blossom and shine.

For many drinkers, Crianza is their first foray into Rioja’s red wine world, as well as the most approachable. Its vivid red fruit flavors layer with hints of spice and vanilla from the oak barrel, but they maintain a brightness that makes them especially food-friendly. As Brown puts it, “Crianza delivers sophistication with verve and fruit purity.”

Throw in a typically affordable pricepoint? We’re sold.

Wine Enthusiast recommends:

Reserva

Moving up from Crianza in age, Reserva represents Rioja’s sweet spot between youth and maturity. Reds must age for a minimum of three years, including at least one in barrel, lending the wines deeper and darker plum, dark cherry and blackberry flavors, framed by stronger oak-influenced notes of baking spice, vanilla and chocolate. It takes the aromas in Crianza and kicks it up like five notches.

Reservas are made by both boutique producers and larger wineries, giving the category a breadth of styles. These wines span from more fruit-driven expressions to intensely-spiced. They’re versatile, and can match up to stronger flavors in food pairings, like pork dishes or roasted poultry.

Wine Enthusiast recommends:

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Gran Reserva

Rioja’s elder statesmen, Gran Reserva reds are the ultimate example of patience makes perfect. With the longest aging requirement of five years (at least two of which must be in barrel), Gran Reservas are heavy in oak influence, often expressing tones of earth, toast and coffee with dried fruit aromas. Brown says, “Here wines of depth, introspection and savory complexity can be found.”

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White Wine and Rosé

It’s no secret that white wine’s star is on the rise across the globe. In Spain, light-skinned varietals like Albariño and Godello have seized the spotlight. Although Rioja Blanco might not have the same name recognition as the aforementioned wines, Brown says, these “whites have always had a compelling role in Rioja.”

The Viura grape, also known as Macabeo, is the most widely planted white varietal in the region. It’s known for its layers of salty complexity and weight offset by bold acidity. “Viura offers beautiful floral aromatics,” says Brown. “Today, it can be found as a crisp, aromatic, dry wine as well as a richer, textured wine aged in oak. Both are captivating.”

Rioja Blanco blends must contain at least 51% Viura, which lends depth and ageability. They can also include Tempranillo Blanco, which provides herbaceousness and acidity; low-acid Malvasía for added body, Garnacha Blanca, Maturana Blanca as well as a few international grapes.

Somewhere between blanco and tinto, you’ll find Rioja’s rosé (or, rosado). Typically made with grape varieties found in the region’s red wines, these wines are made via direct press, where grapes are de-stemmed and pressed with little contact with the skins and the blended claret press process in which both red and white varieties are pressed together.

Both rosados and blancos are subject to the same regulations in Rioja’s aging classification system but with shorter time in barrel: Joven or unspecified (no aging requirement), Crianza (aged for 12 months, with six months in barrel), Reserva (two years with six months in barrel) and Gran Reserva (five years aging with six months in barrel).

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Sparkling Wines

Move over Champagne: “Sparkling wine from Rioja is one of its most exciting finds today,” says Brown.

Winemakers have been crafting traditional method sparklers with elegance and class in the region for over 100 years.

These bottlings are wholly unique. Whereas Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate sparkling blends throughout many parts of Europe and much of the world, in Rioja they take a backseat. Instead, these bubbles lean on local varieties like Tempranillo, Malvasía, Viura, Graciano and more.

Like everything else in Rioja, sparklers adhere to a stringent aging classification system. Espumoso de Rioja requires 15 months of aging on the lees. Reservas must be aged on the lees for at least 24 months. Brown’s favorite, Gran Añada, must be aged for a minimum of 36 months on the lees.

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The post It’s Time to Get to Know Rioja appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

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