The flavor of wet asphalt in wine of Rioja

Discover the of Rioja wines revealing the of wet asphalt flavor during the olphactive analysis (nose) and during the gustative analysis (mouth).

More information on of Rioja flavors

Rioja, in northern Spain, is best known for its berry-flavored, barrel-aged red wines made from Tempranillo and Garnacha. It is probably the leading wine region in Spain. It is certainly the most famous, rivaling only Jerez. The Vineyards follow the course of the Ebro for a hundred kilometres between the towns of Haro and Alfaro.

Besides Tempranillo and Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan) are also used in Rioja's red wines. Some wineries, notably Marqués de Riscal, use small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon. White grapes are planted much less. In 2017, the vineyard area was recorded at 64,215 hectares (158,679 acres).

News on wine flavors

DO Penedès announces the first “Vi de Mas” wines

In November of 2021, Spain’s DO Penedès announced a massive overhaul of their bylaws with many changes aimed at re-orienting the region via a “10-year plan”. One of the key aspects was a new classification system for the estates of the region called, “Vi de Mas”, the first five of which have just been certified. While most wine regions looking to implement a system use the so-called “Burgundian Pyramid” as a structure, Penedès took a different approach that merged some of the Burgundian sy ...

Decanter magazine latest issue: November 2022

Inside the November 2022 issue of Decanter magazine: FEATURES Value claret: Top 30 under £20 Georgina Hindle’s pick of the 163 affordable clarets she tasted Decanter Hall of Fame Award: Rosa Kruger Tim Atkin MW profiles the inspiring 2022 winner Decanter Rising Star Award: Apostolos Thymiopoulos Sarah Jane Evans MW introduces this talented Greek winemaker Clairette around the world Dry whites that impress Matt Walls Napa Cabernet 2019 Jonathan Cristaldi’s highlights of the vintage Thinking insid ...

Decanter magazine latest issue: March 2022

Inside the March 2022 issue of Decanter Magazine: FEATURES: New Spanish whites David Williams’ A to X guide to 10 key producers and wines in Spain’s developing white scene Making wine in Spain Self-confessed ‘nomadic winemaker’ Darren Smith on the irresistible allure of Spain Producer profile: Francisco Barona Driving tractors at 12, now making top Ribera del Duero. By Tim Atkin MW Vintage preview: northern Rhône 2020 Another hot year, but there is freshness and top quality to be found. Matt Wa ...