Top 100 red wines of La Rioja
Discover the top 100 best red wines of La Rioja as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the red wines that are popular of La Rioja and the best vintages to taste in this region.
Discovering the wine region of La Rioja
La Rioja is a wine region in the foothills of the Andes Mountains in western Argentina, North of Mendoza and San Juan. Unlike its Spanish namesake, it has traditionally been associated most closely with white wines.
The mountainous Terroir of the region is particularly suited to the Torrontés Riojano variety, which produces Fruity, Soft, Aromatic whites. Bonarda, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec can also be found growing throughout the region.
Locals argue that La Rioja was one of the first Argentinian regions to have vines Planted in it, and Spanish settlers in the late 16th Century are widely credited with being the first to plant grapes here. La Rioja was named for the northern Spanish region by Juan Ramirez de Velasco, a native of the latter.
This has caused some animosity between the two regions. In 2011, the Argentinian province won a court case allowing it to continue to label its wines as 'La Rioja Argentina'.
Vineyard conditions in La Rioja
La Rioja's position in the rain shadow of the Andes range means that wine-producing areas are strictly governed by access to water. As a result, vineyard distribution is scattered.
There is a single main production area in the Famatina Valley, which sits in the mesoclimate formed by the Sierra de Velasco and the Sierra de Famatina mountain ranges. Some small vineyard areas can also be found around the towns of Nonogasta and Villa Union.
Discover the grape variety: Malbec
Malbec, a high-yielding red grape variety, produces tannic and colourful wines. It is produced in different wine-growing regions and changes its name according to the grape variety. Called Auxerrois in Cahors, Malbec in Bordeaux, it is also known as Côt. 6,000 hectares of the Malbec grape are grown in France (in decline since the 1950s). Malbec is also very successful in Argentina. The country has become the world's leading producer of Malbec and offers wines with great potential.
Food and wine pairing with a red wine of La Rioja
red wines from the region of La Rioja go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, pasta or lamb such as recipes of small stuffed fish from nice, cannelloni with brocciu from jeanne or tajine of beef balls and merguez.
News from the vineyard of La Rioja
Taittinger UK Sommelier of the Year 2022 winner revealed
After a two-year hiatus due to Covid, the UK Sommelier of the Year competition was back with a bang and saw Arnese bag the highly-respected title on Monday 18th July 2022. He pipped this year’s runner-up Agnieszka Swiecka (The Five Fields Restaurant) and 2019 runner-up Gareth Ferreira (Core by Clare Smyth) to the post. The competition is organised by The Caterer in partnership with the UK Sommelier Academy (UKSA) – a new non-profit organisation, officially launched yesterday – which provid ...
English wines made by two MWs set for charity sale
Bottles of three different wines made by the two Masters of Wine in partnership with English producers will be part of the special charity sale this week, beginning on Thursday (25 November). All profits will go to the Marine Conservation Society, a charity that works to protect and restore the sea and its ecosystem, said Barrie and Richards. ‘We’re proud to be working with the Marine Conservation Society,’ said Susie Barrie MW. ‘English wine may have benefited in some regards from climate chang ...
Abadía Retuerta, Spain’s newest Vino de Pago
For those unfamiliar with the Vino de Pago qualification, it was created in Spain in 2003 to certify singular estates (pagos) as Protected Denominations of Origin. While not a requisite, it’s generally implemented by individual wineries looking to gain protected status for a single vineyard site within their domain. This is the case for Abadía Retuerta which is an estate of 700ha, of which 180ha is planted to vine. While located within the Duero Valley, the site resides within the borders of Sar ...