A writer, broadcaster and wine consultant with 40 years' experience in the food and, particularly, wine industry. His books

By now, Rioja was firmly established not only as Spain’s ‘flagship’ wine but as one of the world’s greatest wine regions, ranking alongside such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, Chianti and Barolo, and in the 1990s this led to further diversification into ‘premium’ wines to rival those of the world’s finest. Rioja has become something of a ‘role model’ for other wines from Spain, particularly those whose names are not well-known outside their home areas. Just as Bordeaux needs its first-growths to promote its generic wines, so Rioja acts as a beacon for Tempranillo wines from such as La Mancha, Valdepeñas, Ribera del Júcar and a dozen other regions of which no-one has ever heard.

Before long, however, it became obvious that the main local grape variety, Tempranillo, was ideally suited to ‘Bordeaux-style’ winemaking, and this became the mainstay of Rioja production, as it remains to this day.

Today, the range is wide: you can still buy the classic, oaky, gran reservas, sometimes with decades of ageing in cask and bottle; then there are the light, fruity Tempranillo wines (typically from the Rioja Alavesa) which are drunk joven (young - without any oak ageing), often from the Christmas after the vintage; clean, fresh, crisp young reds with just a hint of oak, for everyday enjoyment; and ultra-modern wines with amazing fruit, concentration, power and vitality (and usually at amazing prices). That’s the strength and the diversity of Rioja today: feet firmly rooted in the traditions of the past, but head in the clouds, looking for new horizons.

Given the innovation and new thinking which has characterized the development of Rioja wine in the last 20 years. in the future, we may expect to see even more exciting, and more diverse wines coming from the region. But we shall, of course, also still be able to buy the classic styles which have set the original benchmark of quality for more than 150 years.

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