An array of rosé as well as gewurztraminer from Rioja.
Mike DeSimone
When a glass of wine enthusiasts listen to the name Rioja the first point that probably enters your mind is an aged red made from the Tempranillo grape. That image would certainly not be wrong; 86% of the a glass of wine created in this storied Spanish area is red, and also the majority of that is made with Tempranillo. Of the equilibrium, 5% is rosé and also 9% is white. Wine makers will inform you that just over 100 years back lots of vineyards were producing half red as well as half white wine, however as the neighborhood and also global crave Crianza, Reserva, and also Grandma Reserva a glass of wine from Rioja grew numerous creeping plants bearing white grapes were removed and changed with red.
That stated, as the worldwide demand for rosé proceeds unabated as well as white wine enthusiasts seek lighter options when imbibing, wine makers in Rioja are establishing their views on increasing their production of white and rosé red wines again. Last week the Consejo Regulador DOCa Rioja (Rioja Regulatory Council) held a digital sampling of recently released white as well as rosé red wines to re-introduce this fast-growing group to USA-based reporters and participants of the wine trade. The occasion was organized by Iñigo Tapiador, Advertising Supervisor for the council and Pia Mara Santomauro, that heads up the region’s public connections efforts in the United States.
CVNE winery in Rioja, Spain, in very early fall.
CVNE
White and also rosé white wines from 3 wineries, one from each of Rioja’s subregions, were sent out to participants in advance, as well as relative from each vineyard mentioned the red wine and also their commitment to growing the category. The vineyard reps were Maria Urrutia, the fifth-generation proprietor of CVNE in Rioja Alta, Raquel Perez Cuevas, fourth generation proprietor as well as wine maker at Bodegas Ontañon in Rioja Asian, and also Jesus Martínez Bujanda Mora, fifth generation owner of Bodegas Valdemar in Rioja Alavesa.
Speaking about the online sampling instead of a huge, online trade occasion that would certainly have been held if Covid-19 travel restrictions were not in place, Iñigo Tapiador stated “I believe it’s excellent that we are taking this possibility to share our white wines. Wine can take a trip however people can not.” He took place to clarify that Rioja is most popular for red wines however that white as well as rosé are necessary to consumers too.
Maria Urrutia, fifth generation proprietor of CVNE.
CVNE
Maria Urrutia was the initial to introduce her glass of wines, Cune Monopole 2020, made with 100% Viura, as well as Cune Rosado 2020, a rosé created making use of just Tempranillo. Urrutia mentioned the lengthy background of gewurztraminer being made in Rioja, and also guests were shocked to discover that as lately as the 1940s half of CVNE’s result was white wine. Unsurprisingly, the portion is much smaller today. She explained that “Monopole is the earliest gewurztraminer in Spain. It dates back to 1950. This is not something we just started doing.”
Asked about the deep pink Spanish rosé as contrasted to the paler Provençal design that is now surging in appeal, Urrutia responded: “This design of rosado has actually been marketed for more than 100 years. It’s 100% Tempranillo. We’re not attempting to compete with Provence. This is a white wine to consume with food, despite having a whole dish. It’s much more effective as well as fruity.” She added, “We are wanting to generate glass of wines that are drinkable as well as delightful, so that when you put that container on the table it is swiftly completed.”
Raquel Perez Cuevas, Bodegas Ontañon wine maker, in her family members’s vineyards.
Fernando Diaz
Successive was Raquel Perez Cuevas from Bodegas Ontañon in Quel, a small village in Rioja Oriental (Eastern Rioja), which was formerly referred to as Rioja Baja, or Reduced Rioja. Perez Cuevas was instrumental in the regional name adjustment since the name Rioja Baja might have an implication of quality rather than location psychological of customers. She was very enthusiastic regarding the future of gewurztraminer from Rioja, specifying, “Gewurztraminer have actually had a change. Viura is the pioneer, however Tempranillo Blanco and Malvasia have additionally played a part.” The Viura grape has been the essential of Riojan whites for several years. Tempranillo Blanco, a normally taking place anomaly of Tempranillo that was discovered in 1988 and permitted for use in the DOCa in 2007 has actually taken the area by storm. Other white grapes expanded as well as utilized in the area are Malvasia de Rioja, Garnacha Blanca, Maturana Blanca and Turrentes de Rioja. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc as well as Verdejo might likewise be included in blends.
Perez Cuevas presented Ontañon Vetiver Viura 2017, a 100% barrel-fermented gewurztraminer, which has brilliant apple and also citrus flavors with touches of toast and also spice, pointing out that although it is now preferred, this wine has a fascinating history: “Our very first vintage was 1997. Envision a barrel-fermented gewurztraminer in Spain. It was a catastrophe! People in Spain like simple, fruity merlot. Thanks to a few of our colleagues in Belgium and also England, they claimed that this was something intriguing from Spain. So, we remained to make this red wine, which has been contrasted to white wines from Burgundy. Now in Spain there is a growing passion in gewurztraminer. Rioja is unusual individuals.”
A small winery possessed by Bodegas Ontañon on a mountaintop in Rioja Asian.
Bodegas Ontañon
Guests were likewise welcomed to taste Ontañon Clarete 2020, a rosé made from Viura and Tempranillo. Perez Cuevas elucidated on claretefrom Rioja, which is rosé made with a blend of white and also red grapes. (Many rosé red wine is made from carefully pushed red grapes.) “Clarete has a lengthy practice in Rioja. Most rosé is 100 percent red grapes, however claret has more white grapes than red by portion. They are mimicked merlots. Ours is Tempranillo and also Viura, and also it has even more depth.” Originally Ontañon’s clarete was only made in very small amounts for household, yet the United States distributor asked for that they begin bottling it for the United States market.
Per Perez Cuevas, Bodegas Ontañon’s production percents have to do with the same as the area generally. She stated, “Bodegas Ontañon generates eighty-five percent merlot currently, yet white as well as rosé are growing as well as expanding.”
Jesus Martínez Bujanda Mora of Bodegas Valdemar.
Bodegas Valdemar
The last speaker was Jesus Martínez Bujanda Mora of Bodegas Valdemar. Along with the domestic vineyard in Oyón, Jesus as well as his dad and also sis started Valdemar Estates in Walla Walla, Washington, in 2018, which is claimed to be the first internationally owned vineyard in the state. Bodegas Valdemar has a background of making barrel fermented white wine along with of development. He claimed that they were the very first vineyard in Spain to make a barrel fermented gewurztraminer, in 1989. He is currently bringing this spirit of advancement to Walla Walla, Washington, where he is circulating native Riojan grape Maturana. “We are very first cultivators, after that winemakers. Whatever starts in the vineyards.” Bodegas Valdemar is likewise the first European winery to be 100% obtainable to people with disabilities.
Martínez Bujanda shared Conde Valdemar Blanco 2020, made from 60% Viura blended with Tempranillo Blanco, Malvasia, and also Sauvignon Blanc, along with Conde Valdemar Rosé 2020, a mix of Garnacha as well as Mazuelo. He discussed the distinctions in strategy between Spain and also the United States. When his papa saw Walla for Valdemar Estates’ very first harvest, he was stunned at the winemaking process. Their Chardonnay was pushed without initial de-stemming, and also it was allowed to totally oxidize during the pressing. He believed the red wine was wrecked however it ends up that the fresh tastes were retained. Nevertheless, Jesus has been keen to use this advancement to winemaking back home in Spain, including, “It’s great to find out various other means of doing things.”
Asked which winemaking techniques learned in the US he was relating to his household’s Rioja procedures, Martinez Bujanda responded, “We have refrained much cold soak or chilly maceration in Spain, however we use this technique in Washington, and also we are trying out it in small batches back in Spain.”
All 3 speakers were emphatic regarding the suggestion that although the numbers are fairly tiny currently, white and also rosé from Rioja will certainly grow in value and portions in years ahead. As Raquel Perez Cuevas placed it, “The transformation of Rioja whites is coming.”