Grape Varieties
Vines during their sleeping time
We use the typical ones from the Rioja region in order to produce the best wines. These are: tempranillo, garnacho, graciano and mazuelo, for red wines; viura and malvasía for white wines. The vineyards are carefully planned, planted and maintained so as to ensure the high quality of the wine from the very beginning. The tempranillo grape is always the predominant variety and constitutes 70% or 80% of volume. It is followed by the garnacho which accounts for 10 - 15%, and the remainder is split between mazuelo and graciano.
A larger proportion of tempranillo would produce heavier, thicker wines, of deeper, stronger colour, and of a rather uninteresting taste. The virtue of mazuelo and, above all, of the graciano varieties, is that they bring to the final product that fine, sparkling, ruby - red colour, and that freshness, vigour and personality which characterise the best table wine. They also make possible the prolonged periods of ageing.
The vineyards need constant work, permanent observation and, above all, tender loving care. In autumn, once the grape harvest is over, the vines with their dry shoots wait for pruning, which should take place a fortnight after the leaves have fallen, during the vegetative pause which keeps the plants without a flow of sap until the end of February.
Tempranillo
The Tempranillo variety occupies 27.552 hectares of cultivated land, which represents 57% of the D.O. Ca. Rioja, with a steady growth over the last few years at the expense of other varieties. It is considered to be an indigenous species of vine of the Rioja region, and its Spanish origin is internationally recognised. It is very sure in its fruit setting, very sensitive to pests and disease and not very resistant to drought or high temperatures.
It produces a must which is balanced in sugar, colour and acidity, although it can sometimes be lacking in the latter. It has an honest taste to the palate, interesting in the young wine and velvety when aged. It is regarded as the most favoured variety and for quite some years has been the variety which occupies the greatest surface area in the Denominatión.
According to some studies, it can be stated with confidence that the varieties of Cencibel in La Mancha, Tinto Fino in Madrid, Tinto de Toro and Tinto de Madrid in Ribera del Duero can be regarded as synonymous. Other synonymies suggested have more differences. The synonymies which appear in literature and in ampelographic collections all over the world are as follows: Aragonez, Arganda, Cencibel, Chinchillana, Escobera, Garnacho, Foño, Jaciuera, Negra de Mesa, Tinta Santiago, Tinta Montereiro, Tinto Fino, Tinto País, Tinto Riojano, Tinto de Toro, Tinto de Madrid, Ull de Llebre, Valdepeñas, Verdiell and Vid de Aranda.
Garnacho
With a surface area of 10.148 hectares, representing 21% of the grapes grown within the Denominación, the Garnacha variety has gradually decreased in favour of Tempranillo. Its Spanish origins are internationally recognised. Among red wines it is the most extensively grown variety in the world, covering a total of 330.000 hectares, of which 240-000 hectares are in Spain.
Liable to fruit loss when cultivated badly, it is a hardy plant, able to withstand periods of drought and also fairly resistant to pests and major vine diseases such as rust mites and powdery mildew. The product obtained depends a lot on the environmental conditions (heat summation) and the way it is cultivated ( production). In warm areas it produces the kind of wine for which it is best known (high alcohol level, low acidity and full-bodied), but in cool areas it produces a very interesting, balanced wine.
One cannot talk about Garnacha wine independently of the area in which it is grown, as the results are very varied. It is often unfairly criticised for its quality without having sufficient knowledge of experience of its possibilities. It has been present in rioja wine for most of the twentieth century.
Mazuelo
This variety is grown over a surface area of only 1.543 hectares, which makes up 3% of the D.O. Ca. Rioja. Worldwide, 220.000 hectares are cultivated, 207.000 of which are in France. Its French origin is internationally accepted under the name of Carignan Noir. It bears more fruit than the previously mentioned varieties and it is extremely prone to powdery mildew. It requires greater heat summation than the other varieties. In cool areas it does not ripen properly. It gives musts with a lot of colour and acidity, harsh and lacking in aroma.
These are wines rich in tannins and rough on the palate. It is known throughout the world as the main denomination of Carignan Noir and the following synonymies have been recorded: Babonenc, Bois Dur, Boue Duro, Cagnolaro Tinto, Carignan Mouillan, Carignano, Cariñena, Catalan, Cencibel, Crujillon, Crusillo, Girarde, Legno Duro, Manuelo Tinto, Mataro, Mazuelo, Mollard, Monestel, Plant de Ledenon, Roussillonen, Samso, Samso Crusillo, Sopatna Blau, Tinto Mazuela, Uva di Spagna.
Graciano
In Rioja, barely 198 hectares of this variety are grown, representing 0,4% of the Denominación. It is regarded as indigenous and its Spanish origins is internationally accepted. Of the authorised red varieties it is the one which occupies the least surface area of vines in our Denominación and, unlike the previous ones, it is not grown in significant quantities in other areas. It has greater resistance to pests and diseases than the Tempranillo variety. It produces a bright red coloured must, with considerable acidity and a pleasant and characteristic bouquet; it is the most aromatic of all our varieties. It is important to gain better understanding of this variety in view of the likely increase in its cultivation in our Denominación in the coming years.
The collected synonymies in the ampelographic collections from all over the world are as follows: Bastardo Nero , Bordelais, Cagnolale, Cagnovali Negro, Cagnulari, Cagnulari Bastardo, Cagnulari Sardo, Caldaredou Caldarello, Cargo Muol, Couthurier, Graciano Tinto, Gros negrette, Minustello, Morrastel, Tinta do Padre, Antonio, Tinta Miuda, Tintilla, Xerz, Zinzillosa.
Viura
Its cultivated area occupies 7.713 hectares, which makes it, with 16% of total surface area, the main white grape variety grown in Rioja. Worldwide, 58.000 hectares are cultivated, of which 51.000 hectares are found in Spain. Its Spanish origin is recognized. It produces a small number of clusters but they are big in size. It is more productive than the red varieties but its fruit rots easily. In cool areas it produces a pleasant, acidic must, with a characteristic flavour. Its wine is considered to be well- suited for ageing in wood, which represents a traditional way of elaborating white Riojan wine. Synonymies found are as follows: Alcañon, Forcalla, Gredelin, Lardot, Macabeo, Macabeu, Queue de Renard, Rossan.
Malvasía
It covers 115 hectares, representing 0,23% of Denomination´s total cultivated area. Generally, Malvasía has its origins in Asia Minor but it was introduced into Europe early on. There are many Malvasías in the world , but these are not regarded as synonymies of the Malvasia de Rioja. The clusters are a reddish yellow when ripe, which is the origin of some of the synonymies by which it is known in Rioja. The fruit is prone to rotting. It gives an interesting must, with a certain viscosity and a special bouquet. Its possibilities in Rioja are not very well-known, due to the small area cultivated.
The only internationally accepted synonymy is Sibirat Parent, but in Rioja others names are used which refer to the colour of the clusters in ripening, such as: Rojal, Blanca Roja and Blanquirroja.
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