This article by Frank Corr appeared in the August/September issue of 'Hotel and Restaurant Times.'
 

A visit to Leopardstown by a group of wine and food producers from Rioja Alavesa created an opportunity to taste some of  wines of this region of mountain and sea as well as Basque dishes which have strongly influenced the Spanish chefs who are hailed as the new superstars of European cuisine.

Rioja has been an acquired taste here in Ireland and has been frequently left in the cellar by diners who prefer something fresh and fruity to the strong tannins of this Spanish classic. The region is famous (or notorious) for its love  of old wines aged in French or American oak and producers take delight in releasing their wines a good decade (or even two), after they are first poured into their barrels. Indeed, one producer, Marques de Murrietta, finally got around to releasing its 1942 vintage in 1983- after 41 years of ageing. These old, oaked, tannic wines have fallen out of fashion in most world markets because they are a poor match for the lighter foods which are favoured to-day. Rioja producers were slow to appreciate this trend, but of late more have been releasing their wines after four to six years, which is a long time if you are in Australia or Chile, but shows indecent haste if you are a traditional winemaker in Rioja.

The release of younger Riojas has worked for producers however and here in Ireland, wines from the region are cropping up on a growing number of wine lists and also making their presence felt on off-licence shelves. The wines are also now more visible as bottles carry a logo created in 2008, which gives them a more contemporary look.

Wine has been made along the banks of the Ebro River for aeons. Written evidence of grape growing exists from 873 and (as usual) the monks pioneered the wine industry  from the 11th. to 13th. centuries. By the 17th. century.  The centre of the region is the Rio Oja (which gives Rioja its name), and the area enjoys a Continental climate and protection from the fierce winds which buffet Northern Spain.

The ‘father’ of modern Rioja was  Luciano Murrieta , who created the first fine wine of the Duque de la Victoria area, having learned the process in Bordeaux. His work led to the regulation and classification of Rioja wines by Royal Decree in 1902 and in 1970 the Regulations for Denominación de Origen were approved . In 1991, the "Calificada" (Qualified) nomination was awarded to La Rioja, making it Spain's first Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa).

The three principal regions of La Rioja are Rioja Alavesa, Rioja Alta and Rioja Baja with each area producing its own unique expression of Rioja wine. Located in the southern part of Alava, in the south of the Basque Country, the Rioja Alavesa region guarantees plentiful sunshine, sufficient rainfall and protection from the harsh weather conditions of the Bay of Biscay from the Sierra de Cantabria Mountains. Alavesa is making a bid to differentiate itself from the other Rioja areas, with support from the Basque government. According to the visiting producers, this winning combination enables the region’s 200 vineyards to make some of the finest quality Old World wines, with unique characteristics that set them apart from the wider known Riojas produced in neighbouring Rioja Alta and Rioja Baja.

Rioja wines are normally a blend of various grape varieties, and can be either red (tinto), white (blanco) or rosé (rosado).  Among the Tintos, the best-known and most widely-used variety is Tempranillo. Other grapes used include Garnacha Tinta, Graciano, and Mazuelo. Some estates, including  Marques de Riscal, have received special dispensation to include Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend.

Viura (Macabeo) is the prominent grape in white Rioja and is normally blended with some Malvasía and Garnacha Blanca.

Rioja red wines are classified into four categories. The first, simply labeled ‘Rioja’, is the youngest, spending less than a year in an oak aging barrel. A ‘Crianza’ is wine aged for at least two years, at least one of which was in oak. ‘Rioja Reserva’ is aged for at least three years, of which at least one year is in oak. Finally, ‘Rioja Gran Reserva’ wines have been aged at least two years in oak and three years in bottle.

Most of the producers visiting Dublin were seeking distribution agreements, so their wines may not yet be available here. A wide selection of Riojas are listed by the main Irish distributors.

Yali Tweeters

Vina Ventisquero of Chile, producers of Yali Wines pride themselves on good value and care of the environment and throughout the Summer consumers have been picking up prizes which direct them towards the exotic but fascinating hobby of birdwatching.

Purchasers of Yali could find a code on the neck bottle which won them Bird Watch Ireland Starter Kitswhich include some great bird books, a year’s family membership, a pair of high quality binoculars plus a subscription to Wings magazine) There are also two top prizes of starter kits plus a special guided visit to one of BirdWatch Ireland’s reserves around the country.

Yali wine is named after the El Yali Wetland located in the same valley as the company’s winery. It is a part of Chile’s ‘National System of Wild Areas Protected by the State’ and one of only seven RAMSAR sites in the country. It is home to 25% of Chile’s bird species.

There are several ranges of Yali wines available in Ireland including Yali Wetland, Yali National Reserva and Yali Three Lagoons Gran Reserva. As with all Yali wines they trend towards lower alcohol content. This allows the fruit potential to be more fully expressed resulting in fresh, exceptionally well balanced, uncomplicated wines, honest to their varieties.

‘Yali has been concerned about the environment from the beginning and has generated several alliances with organisations around the world that work for a cleaner and sustainable planet. In Ireland our chosen partner is BirdWatch Ireland and a donation is made to the charity for every case of Yali wine sold here’, says Laura Fontana, Yali Brand Manager.

‘Yali wines really embody our commitment to environmental practices’, she continues. ‘As well as recycling whatever we can at our winery, from paper to grape stalks, we have adopted a lightweight bottle programme, reducing the weight of our bottles by 12% and offsetting all the CO2 generated by the transport of our Yali brand wines. We have even re-designed our packing cases to use less ink’.

 Chilean Specials

Fernando Almeda, chief winemaker at Miguel Torres Chile was a recent visitor to Dublin and brought along a selection of his more upscale wines which are available here. They included the icon wine Manso de Valesco which has an rrp of up to €35.

The wine pays homage to the former Governor of Chile, Manso de Velasco who was famous for his strength on the battlefield, and was the founder of Curicó, where these vineyards are located. The Single Vineyard of Manso de Velasco is devoted exclusively to the Cabernet Sauvignon that produces this deeply-pigmented violet-hued wine with its intense aroma and complex structure.

We also tasted Miguel Torres Cordillera (€20) and Cordillera Chardonnay (€18) and the popular Santa Digna Cabernet Sauvignon Rose, an attractive Summer wine at €12.