Wouldn't you like to taste the Rioja wine before you buy it?
We would say yes to Rioja wine tasting! Always!
When it comes to shopping for wine, sampling is the single the best way to make decisions because your senses are your best guide. For the store it the sure way to sell more wine. It's a win-win for both sides, we think.
In the wine consumer world, sampling can be costly, cheap, and free.
When we heard of Rioja tasting at Liner & Elsen Wine Merchants in Portland, Oregon, we gladly decided to attend. It was reasonably priced tasting because we liked the selection of wines presented and had the option to add a couple of older wines for an additional fee, and it offered us a chance to compare similar wines from the same region.
Why Taste Rioja Wines?
So, why taste Rioja wines? What is so special about Rioja to make you spend $20 on tasting?
From our experience of organizing wine tastings, we concluded so far, that:
- Most wine lovers love Rioja wines
- Rioja is a well-known wine region for non-experienced wine lovers
- Bottle of Rioja under $20 is quite a typical everyday wine among most of the non-experienced wine tastersIt's not an easy decision to make when you tempted to get a more expensive bottle from Rioja. The questions that might run through your mind:
- How much should I pay?
- What's a better vintage (year) for this wine?
- What sub-region makes the best wine?
To answer these questions, we suggest tasting Rioja wines as often as possible! Duh?!
La Rioja, Spain
The region gets its name from the river Oja, a tributary of the Ebro, the longest river in Spain. Viticulture dates back to Roman times, but the modern wine history of this region is influenced by Bordeaux winemaking traditions starting from the 1850s.
La Rioja is divided in three wine sub-regions:
- Rioja Alta
- Rioja Baja
- Rioja Alavesa
Within these sub-regions, there are seven valleys:
- Oja Valley
- Najerilla Valley
- Iregua Valley
- Leza Valley
- Jubera Valley
- Cidacos Valley
- Alhama Valley
Grapes of Rioja:
- Tempranillo
- Garnacha (also known as Grenache)
- Mazuelo (also known as Cariñena, Maturana Tinta, Maturana Parda, Monastrel)
- Viura (also known as Macabeo)
- Malvasia
- Garnacha Blanca
Rioja Wine Tasting Lineup
We started with two white wines from Rioja: 2015 CVNE Monopole and 2014 Marques de Murrieta 'Capellania' Reserva. Both made from 100% Viura (Macabeo), and while they have a similar profile, it was an excellent opportunity to taste the difference. They both had orange blossom, lemon peel, apple and vanilla notes and extended finish accentuated by dried apricot. We had a split decision and called a draw in this duel.
Next, we had three red Riojas: 2011 Remelluri Reserva, 2012 CVNE Imperial Reserva and 2010 Hermanos Peciña "Finca Iscorta" Gran Reserva. All three wines made primarily with Tempranillo, the signature Rioja grape, and blended with supplemental varietals such as Garnacha, Graciano or Mazuelo. All three are delicious wines with 90+ points.
We felt that Remelluri had a light oxidative note on the nose and more of herbal character with a touch of cherry pit bitterness in the aftertaste. It was a good wine but a little behind the other two reds.
While different from each other, CVNE and Finca Iscorta had a common thread of aromas of jammy plum, black cherry, and smoke. On the palate, both had a right balance of acidity, tannin, and fruit.
We were close to another tie because one of us liked CVNE Imperial more for its dark fruit profile and another Finca Iscorta for its bing cherry aftertaste. But if we had to pick one winner of the entire tasting, it would be 2010 Hermanos Peciña "Finca Iscorta" Gran Reserva.
As we thought what made Finca Iscorta special for us, we realized that as always with wine key to success is in grapes. This magical juice was made with 95% Tempranillo, 3% Garnacha and 2% Graciano, sourced from 50-year-old vines and resulting in complex and sophisticated profile.
Overall, it was one of the few store tastings when we loved all the wines we tasted and would be happy to add them to our wine library.
Do you have a local wine shop that offers tastings? How's your experience?
