Not all Rioja is heavily oaked. The new-style, Modernist Rioja is richer, with lots more fruit, writes John Wilson
MANY YEARS AGO, I spent a holiday as a guest of friends in the Basque capital of Vitoria. In the corner of the dining room sat a huge glass jar filled with red wine. I was free to help myself whenever I felt thirsty.
At mealtimes, a large jug of wine was drawn and placed on the table. Every few weeks, the man of the house would make the short journey to his cousin's bodega in Rioja, and have the jar refilled from a large cement tank. The wine was light, fruity and refreshing. I loved it.
Before departing, I asked for help in buying a special bottle of Gran Reserva to bring home for my father. I was quietly informed that those oaky wines were no good, over-priced, over-oaked and only fit for foreigners. My host was a Basque, and Basques prefer unoaked, young Rioja. In every other part of the world, Rioja means oak.
The highlight of a visit to any bodega in Rioja is the visit to the Sala de Crianza or ageing room, where you will be very proudly told how many barrels lie there, filled with ageing wine. It is taken as a measure of seriousness and quality. On a visit to the region some years ago, I gave up counting barrels on day two when the figure topped 250,000. How many forests were felled to create these vast temples of wine? And was it really necessary?
Traditionally the best wines of Rioja were aged for a long period in oak casks, and then for a further period in bottle before release (see panel for details). The idea was good. Instead of having to put the wine away in a cellar for years, Rioja came ready to drink. Age a wine in barrels for a year or two and you soften the fruit, and knock off the rougher, tannic edges too. The wine tastes smoother and usually better.
Traditional Rioja can be very good. It all depends on the quality of the wine you start with; age an inferior wine in oak and it loses any fruit it may have once contained. This is frequently a problem with less expensive Reserva and Gran Reserva Rioja, which just tastes weedy.
Over here we tend to prefer Reserva and Gran Reserva Rioja. But in recent years, a gang of younger producers has shifted focus back into the vineyard, concentrating on obtaining perfectly ripe grapes. New-style or Modernist Rioja spends a shorter period in new French oak. The wines are richer, with lots more fruit. The best are showcases for the natural elegance of the Tempranillo grape (the most popular grape in the region). The worst are over-extracted, over-alcoholic and over-oaked. The Modernists do not use the Reserva system of labelling, simply labelling their wines Cosecha.
Like many fine wine regions, such as Bordeaux and Burgundy, Rioja lies in a marginal area, with an uncertain climate. It can be difficult to achieve fully ripe grapes in poorer vintages, leading to weedy, dilute wines. However, when things go right, you get the most perfect elegant, just-ripe fruits.
In the cooler northern sub-regions of Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, Tempranillo is the favoured grape variety. Traditionally it was blended with the richer, more alcoholic Garnacha from the warmer Rioja Baja area.
I am still a fan of the Basque style of Rioja, usually labelled Joven, but it is very difficult to find in this country. Look for the most recent vintage from a reputable producer, and you will have a real treat.
The traditionalists
Bodegas Lan Crioja Crianza 2004 (€12.99).I hope the Lan people will forgive me when I say that their cellars (a strange kind of 1970s honeycomb affair) are not the most appealing. However, I have always rated their wines, the Reserva and Crianza in particular. The Crianza is a lovely, easy-drinking wine with light, raspberry fruits and a hint of oak. It is smooth and supple, yet fresh, with decent length. This is a great example of traditional Rioja, and would go down nicely with most white and red meats, but grilled lamb chops sound good to me.
Stockists:Superquinn branches; O'Briens branches; Next Door; Molloys Liquor Stores; Cellars Wine Warehouse, Naas Road, Dublin 12; and most specialist wine shops.
Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva 2003 (€16.99).Bodegas Muga is one of the finest traditional houses in Rioja. Founded by the Muga family in 1932, there is even an in-house cooperage to ensure quality barrels. If you want to taste traditional Rioja at its very best, you could fork out around €35 for the excellent Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva 1988. For considerably less you can enjoy this delicious elegant Rioja with its lifted aromas and silky-smooth cherry fruits. Try it with steak and kidney pie.
Stockists:Cellars Wine Warehouse; Supervalu, Churchtown, Dublin 14; Shiels Off Licence, Dorset Street, Dublin 7; On the Grapevine, 45 Booterstown Ave, Co Dublin; Uncorked, Rosemount Shopping Centre, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14; 64 Wine, Glasthule, Co Dublin; Martins Off Licence, 11 Marino Mart, Dublin 3; Spar, Castleknock, Dublin 15.
The modernists
Propriedad, Herencia Remondo, Bodegas Alvaro Palacios Rioja 2004 (€29.99).Alvaro Palacios is one of the best winemakers around, crafting some unique and very different wines in the Priorato and Bierzo regions of Spain. The family business, however, is based in Baja Rioja. It was Alvaro who first opened my eyes to the other main crop of Rioja - early vegetables. Some years ago, I enjoyed an amazing feast of eight separate courses of locally-grown vegetables (including several I had never heard of) in the family hotel and restaurant in Alfaro. The Palacios family make exemplary versions of both kinds of Rioja. The La Montesa is more traditional, the Herencia Remondo more modern. This has ripe fruit, balanced vanilla oak, and long finish. Serve with a leg of lamb.
Stockists:Le Caveau, Kilkenny; Slatterys, Upper Canal Street, Dublin 2 and McHughs, Kilbarrack Road and Artane, Dublin.
Bodegas Allende Rioja 2004 (€24.95).Miquel Angel de Gregorio is one of the brightest stars of the Modernist school of Rioja. He is fascinated by oak, but only of the new French variety. He makes several wines from a bewildering number of parcels of vines, all around his bodega in Rioja Alta. I have limited experience of his very expensive Calvario and Aurus, but his basic Rioja (at €25) is one of my favourites. I recently drank a bottle of the 2004 Allende Rioja in The Winding Stair in Dublin; it is a delicious, rich but elegant wine, with masses of ripe plums and cherries, all held together by some fine-grained tannins. I had mine with skate wings dressed with capers - delicious.
Stockist:Berry Bros. & Rudd, Harry Street, Dublin 2.
Two around €10
Marques de Riscal Rueda 2006 12.5% alcohol (€10.99).Deservedly popular in this country, the Riscal has mouth-watering grapefruit and pear fruits with plenty of zesty acidity, and a dry finish. Great aperitif wine, Or keep to the Spanish theme and serve with tapas.
Stockists:Widely available, including Eldon's, Clonmel; Bennets Off-Licence, Howth; Bin No 9, Goatstown; Carvill's, Camden Street; The Gables, Foxrock; Higgins, Clonskeagh; Uncorked Martha's Vineyard, Rathfarnham; McCabes, Blackrock; Molloy's Liquor Stores; O'Briens Fine Wines; Superquinn.
La Basca Uvas Tintas Tempranillo 2006, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León, 14% alcohol (€9.49/€7.59 until March 13th).This is a cracking wine for the price. Made by Spanish wunderkind Telmo Rodriguez, this will be a little bigger and rounder than a Rioja, but the sweet cherry and plum fruits slip down beautifully, finishing smoothly, too. Try it with bangers and mash, or maybe pasta with a tomato-based sauce.
Stockist:Marks & Spencer, nationwide.