Rioja wines: reds for ageing, Garnacha and Viura whites
47 bottles, from joven to gran reservaA red for ageing with aromas of cherry and spice, a hillside Garnacha, a white polished by ageing: the Ebro valley offers all of this, from everyday wine to the bottle for the cellar. Tempranillo dominates, Garnacha takes the heights, and the designations crianza, reserva and gran reserva tell you the length of ageing.
The selection ranges from the great houses of Haro to the single-plot wines of Artadi, Macán and Juan Carlos Sancha.
Bodegas Tobia - Cuvée Blanco
A white from Rioja with exotic and spicy notes
Palacios Remondo - La Vendimia 2018
A Rioja wine with plenty of drinkability and deliciousness to guarantee immediate pleasure.
Juan Carlos Sancha - Peña El Gato 2022
An old-vine Garnacha, fresh and deep, born in the hills of the Najerilla.
Bodegas Cenicero Viticola - Finca Cienvacas 2024
A drinkable vintage to enjoy with friends!
Palacios Remondo - La Montesa 2021
A magnificently ripe Grenache, a round, juicy and pulpy mouthfeel with supple and delicate tannins.
Bodegas Tobia - Cuvée Tinto
A vintage full of fruit and sunshine to enjoy with friends!
David Moreno - Rioja Crianza 2021
A Crianza from old high-altitude vines, indulgent and silky, polished by twelve months in American oak.
David Moreno - Rioja Blanco 2022
A Viura from old high-altitude vines in the Najerilla, fresh and fruity, with a texture refined on the lees.
Gómez Cruzado - El Predilecto 2022
A juicy and precise Rioja, which elegantly combines freshness, fruit and drinkability.
Gómez Cruzado - Montes Obarenes 2021
A great white Rioja combining Atlantic freshness, mineral depth and precision in aging.
La Rioja Alta - Finca San Martin Crianza 2021
A precise and delicious Rioja de finca, where the freshness of Tempranillo meets the elegance of wood.
Gómez Cruzado - Honorable 2016
A Rioja of character, precise and refined, which intensely expresses the terroir of Rioja Alta.
La Rioja Alta - Gran Reserva Viña Arana 2016
A great Rioja Alta in classic style, combining aromatic finesse, elegant oakiness and remarkable aging potential.
Gómez Cruzado - Cerro Las Cuevas Tempranillo 2018
A precise and elegant Tempranillo from Rioja Alta, where the freshness of the high-altitude terroir meets perfectly controlled ripeness.
La Rioja Alta - Viña Alberdi Reserva 2021
A classic and precise Rioja Reserva, combining fruit, freshness and woody elegance.
Gómez Cruzado - Crianza 2021
A precise and balanced Crianza de Rioja Alta, where the fruit combines with an elegant woody touch for great drinkability.
Gómez Cruzado - Vina Dorana Reserva 2017
A Rioja with character that elegantly combines fruit, spices and traditional farming.
Juan Carlos Sancha - Cerro La Isa blanco 2020
A white wine from old Rioja vines that is taut, deep and saline, which precisely reveals the freshness of the hillsides of Cerro La Isa.
Gómez Cruzado - Rioja Blanco 2022
A precise and elegant white Rioja, where the freshness of the fruit meets the depth of the high-altitude terroirs.
Dominio del Challao - Angelita 2021
A Mediterranean Spanish red wine combining fruit, suppleness and freshness for a convivial tasting experience.
Valenciso - Valenciso Blanco 2021
A wine combining texture, balance, minerality and elegance.
Valenciso - Tinto Reserva 2014
A dense, deep and complex Rioja crafted with elegance
Bodegas Tobia - Daimon White Seleccion 2018
A complex, round and delicious Rioja white that offers you a journey full of flavors.
Villages, sub-zones and altitudes
The appellation follows the Ebro through La Rioja, Álava and Navarre. The Atlantic west gives taut reds, the drier east sun-drenched wines where Garnacha thrives.
| Place | Sub-zone | Soil and altitude | A bottle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haro and its slopes | Rioja Alta, southern part | Clay-limestone and alluvium, Atlantic influence | Viña Alberdi Reserva 2021La Rioja Alta, €29.70 a bottle, by the case of 6 |
| Pago Canajas, upper Ygay | Rioja Alta, southern part | Clay-limestone, from 320 to 485 m | Gran Reserva 2016Marqués de Murrieta, €61.00 a bottle, by the lot of 2 |
| Baños de Río Tobía, Najerilla Valley | Rioja Alta | Clay and limestone, south-facing slope at 650 m | Peña El Gato 2022Juan Carlos Sancha, €26.00 a bottle, or €25.00 by the case of 6 |
| San Vicente de la Sonsierra | Rioja Alta, north bank of the Ebro | Clay-limestone and gravel, at the foot of the Sierra de Cantabria | Macán Clásico 2021Macán, €66.00 a bottle, by the lot of 2 |
| Labastida | Rioja Alavesa | Sand, marl and limestone, 580 m | Challao 2021Dominio del Challao, €179.00 a bottle, sold individually |
| Laguardia and Elvillar | Rioja Alavesa | Clay-limestone, sand and silt, at the foot of the Sierra de Toloño | Viñas de Gain 2021Artadi, €41.00 a bottle, by the lot of 3 |
| Mount Yerga, near Alfaro | Rioja Oriental | North-east slope, vines at 550 m | La Montesa 2021Palacios Remondo, €23.00 a bottle, individually or by the case of 6 |
In 2015 Artadi chose to leave the appellation and label its wines with the name of Laguardia and of its plots: El Pisón, El Carretil, La Poza de Ballesteros. Its bottles remain pure children of Rioja Alavesa.
From joven to single-plot wine
The classic terms measure the length of ageing. The newer terms, village wine and singular vineyard, designate a place: two ways to choose your bottle.
| Please mention | Rule for a red | In the glass | To taste |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joven or genérico | Short or tank ageing, early bottling | Crunchy fruit, fine tannins | La Vendimia 2018Palacios Remondo, €13.50 a bottle, by the case of 6, or €29.00 per magnum |
| Crianza | 24 months' ageing, including 12 in barrique | Ripe fruit, discreet oak | Crianza 2021Gómez Cruzado, €17.90 a bottle, by the case of 6 |
| Reserva | 36 months, including 12 in barrique and 6 in bottle | Sweet spice, candied fruit | Viña Ardanza Reserva 2017La Rioja Alta, €49.00 a bottle, by the lot of 3 |
| Village wine | 60 months, including 24 in barrique and 24 in bottle | Mature bouquet, leather, long ageing potential | Gran Reserva 904 2016La Rioja Alta, €115.60 a bottle, sold individually |
| Singular vineyard | Grapes from a single village, named on the label | The imprint of a village | Cerro Las Cuevas 2018Gómez Cruzado, Haro, €60.00 a bottle, by the lot of 2 |
| White for ageing | Identified plot, vines at least 35 years old, limited yields | Precision, depth | Dalmau 2020Marqués de Murrieta, Pago Canajas, €230.00 a bottle, sold individually |
Minimum durations for reds; whites and rosés follow shorter durations.
A bottle for every mood
Start with the occasion, and the bottle will follow.
The red for evenings with friends
Tempranillo from sixty-year-old vines in the north of Rioja: light, fresh and velvety, with raspberry and strawberry.
Finca Cienvacas 2024, €8.90 a bottle, by the case of 6A hillside Garnacha
Old bush vines farmed organically at 650 m, in the Najerilla valley: a fresh, deep red.
Peña El Gato 2022, €26.00 a bottle, or €25.00 by the case of 6The classic gran reserva
Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano from Finca Ygay, long aged: a deep, fresh, silky red.
Gran Reserva 2016, Marqués de Murrieta, €61.00 a bottle, in lots of 2A winemaker's Alavesa
Old bush vines around Lanciego, on limestone: a fresh, precise Tempranillo with fine tannins.
Lanzaga 2021, €40.40 a bottle, by the lot of 3A white for the table
Viura and Tempranillo Blanco from the slopes of Haro: a fresh, precise white, for poultry or grilled fish.
Rioja Blanco 2022, Gómez Cruzado, €17.90 a bottle, by the case of 6Discover a rare grape variety
Maturana Tinta, an old Rioja grape variety, farmed organically in Baños de Río Tobía: a fresh, intense red.
Ad Libitum Maturana Tinta 2024, Juan Carlos Sancha, €16.60 a bottle, by the case of 6Tempranillo elsewhere
Rioja's grape variety in other climates: our Tempranillo bottles brought together in one range, to compare.
From American oak to the single plot
For a long time Rioja was read through the length of ageing: a wine patiently aged in American oak barriques earned its stripes as a reserva, then a gran reserva. In Haro, La Rioja Alta and Gómez Cruzado carry on this school, as does Marqués de Murrieta at Finca Ygay.
Another reading has taken hold, that of place. Artadi in Laguardia, Lanzaga in Lanciego, Macán in the Sonsierra or Juan Carlos Sancha in the Najerilla isolate a village, a slope, an old bush vine. We keep both schools side by side: one for the festive table, the other for understanding a terroir.
White, the other face of Rioja
Viura, called Macabeo elsewhere in Spain, remains the backbone of Rioja whites. Tempranillo Blanco, a mutation of Tempranillo, and Maturana Blanca, an old grape variety brought back, give it relief. Taste the Maturana Blanca of Ad Libitum Blanco 2024 (€15.00 a bottle, by the case of 6) or Plácet Valtomelloso 2018, Viura aged 11 months on fine lees (€27.50 a bottle, by the case of 6).
The Wine Wanderer Team
What people ask us about Rioja
What is the difference between crianza, reserva and gran reserva?
These designations measure the minimum ageing of a red: 24 months for crianza, including 12 in barrique; 36 for reserva, including 12 in barrique; 60 for gran reserva, including 24 in barrique and 24 in bottle. Compare Finca San Martín Crianza 2021 (€17.60 a bottle, by the case of 6) and Viña Arana 2016 (€65.60 a bottle, by the lot of 2).
Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa or Rioja Oriental: what are the differences?
Rioja Alta, in the west, receives the Atlantic influence: taut reds, made for ageing. Rioja Alavesa, north of the Ebro in the Basque Country, plants Tempranillo on limestone slopes sheltered by the Sierra de Cantabria. Rioja Oriental, hotter, gives pride of place to Garnacha, like Palacios Remondo's La Montesa 2021 (€23.00 a bottle, sold individually).
Which Rioja to choose for under €20?
Finca Cienvacas 2024, a light, fresh Tempranillo, costs €8.90 a bottle, by the case of 6. David Moreno's Tinto Madurado 2022 sells for €11.90, sold individually. For a crianza, Gómez Cruzado Crianza 2021 is €17.90 a bottle, by the case of 6. Widen your search to Spanish wines sorted by price.
Rioja or Ribera del Duero: which one to choose?
Both are based on Tempranillo. Rioja gives suppler reds, marked by ageing and often blended with Garnacha or Graciano. Ribera del Duero, on a plateau above 750 m, delivers denser, darker wines. The Tempranillo range brings the two together.
Does Rioja produce white wines?
Yes, from Viura, sometimes blended with Tempranillo Blanco, Maturana Blanca or Garnacha Blanca. Aged in oak, these whites gain breadth. Gómez Cruzado's Rioja Blanco 2022 costs €17.90 a bottle, by the case of 6; Artadi's Viñas de Gain Blanco 2019, €41.00 a bottle, by the lot of 3.
How long can you keep a Rioja wine?
A joven such as La Vendimia or an easy-drinking red such as Finca Cienvacas is drunk within five years. A crianza, or a Garnacha such as La Montesa, opens up between five and ten years. Gran reservas and single-plot wines (Viña Arana, 904, Macán, Challao, El Pisón) can take ten years in the cellar and more.
At what temperature should Rioja be served, and with which dishes?
Serve the reds between 16 and 18 °C, a little cooler for a joven, and decant a young gran reserva. Tempranillo loves roast lamb, grilled beef, game and aged pressed cheeses. Viura white goes with poultry and fish in sauce.
What is a Viñedo Singular in Rioja?
Since 2017, the Rioja DOCa has recognised singular vineyards: an identified plot, vines at least 35 years old, reduced yields, hand harvesting. The designation puts the place first. In this spirit, taste Juan Carlos Sancha's Cerro la Isa tinto 2019, at €75.40 a bottle, by the lot of 2.