Rioja DOCa

Region

Subzones

Rioja Alta (La Rioja), Rioja Oriental-formerly Baja(Navarra), Rioja Alavesa (País Vasco)

Styles Produced

Vino Espumoso Calidad: Traditional Method Blanco or Rosado following the same assemblage requirements as still Blanco and Rosado wines.
Blanco: 100% authorized white grapes, only principal grapes may account for more than 50% of the blend
Rosado: min. 25% combined Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Garnacha Tinta, Maturana Tinta and Graciano
Tinto: min. 95% authorized red grapes (if destemmed), min. 85% authorized red grapes (if whole clusters or whole berries are used)

Authorized Grapes

Blanco:
- Principal White Grapes: Viura, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Verdejo
- Secondary White Grapes: Malvasía, Garnacha Blanca, Tempranillo Blanca, Maturana Blanca, Turruntés
Tinto:
- Principal Red Grape: Tempranillo
- Secondary Red Grapes: Garnacha, Mazuelo, Graciano, Maturana Tinta

Minimum Potential Alcohol

Minimum/Maximum Alcohol

Rioja (without subzone designation):
- Blanco/Rosado: 10.5% (11% for Reserva or Gran Reserva)
- Tinto: 11.5% (12% for Reserva or Gran Reserva)
Rioja (with subzone designation):
- Blanco Alta/Alavesa: 11%
- Blanco Baja: 11.5%
- Rosado Alta/Alavesa: 10.5%
- Rosado Baja/Oriental: 11%
- Tinto Alta/Alavesa: 11.5%
- Tinto Baja: 12%
Vino Espumosa Calidad: 11% to 13% (finished wines)

Chaptalization

Maximum Sulfur Dioxide

Minimum Total Acidity

Aging Requirements

Vino Espumosa Calidad: min. 15 months on the lees from the date of tirage prior to disgorgement
Crianza Blanco/Rosado: min. 2 years, including at least 6 months in oak (remainder may be in bottle, oak or stainless steel)
Crianza Tinto: min. 2 years, including at least 1 year in oak
Vino Espumosa Calidad Reserva: min. 24 months on the lees from the date of tirage prior to disgorgement
Reserva Blanco/Rosado: min. 2 years, including at least 6 months in oak (remainder must be in bottle or oak)
Reserva Tinto: min. 3 years, including at least 1 year in oak and 6 months in bottle
Gran Reserva Blanco/Rosado: min. 4 years, including at least 6 months in oak (remainder must be in bottle or oak)
Gran Reserva Tinto: min. 60 months of aging with at least 24 months in oak and at least 24 months in bottle
Vino Espumosa Gran Añada: min 36 months on the lees from the date of tirage prior to disgorgement.

Vino Espumosa Calidad

Traditional Method
Only manual harvesting
The entire process from the primary fermentation to the labeling post disgorgement before release must take place in the same location. The wine may not be relocated or transported at any time.
No additions, coloring or filtration at any point throughout the production
Transfer method is approved for bottle sizes smaller than 750 ml and larger than 3 L
Vino Espumosa Gran Añada must come entirely from a single vintage, and state the vintage on the label.
Sweetness Designations:
- Brut Nature: Less than 3 g/l of residual sugar, and has not received dosage
- Extra Brut: Maximum 6 g/l of resigual sugar
- Brut: Maximum 12 g/l of residual sugar

Minimum/Maximum Planting Density

Permitted Training Methods

Cordon (single or double), „en vaso“ (bush vines), „vara y pulgar“, Double Guyot (the latter may be used for all white varieties except Viura, Malvasía, and Garnacha Blanca.)

Maximum Yields

Additional Requirements

Single Vineyards to appear on labels must be approved by the regulatory board, and produced by a winery with a at least a 10 year history of working with the vineyard, that must have Vines at least 35 years of age.
The harvest of grapes destined for a single vineyard wine must be communicated to the Consejo Regulador prior to harvest
All single vineyard wines must be manually harvested. The arrival of this fruit, along with its weight must be entered into the ‚Tarjeta de Viticultor‘ and submitted to the Consejo Regulador for review
The Consejo Regulador may assume control of a vineyard destined to be singularly labeled from July 1st to ensure that it is not manipulated, and that it corresponds to the yield and farming requirements
For still white, rose and red Rioja, the wines must be aged in oak barrels of approximately 225L in size

DOCa Established

Links

Subzone	Soil Structure
Rioja Alta	Rioja Alta’s northern areas are characterized by yellow calcareous clay (arcillo-calcareo), whereas the lower slopes south of the Ebro River contain reddish, iron-rich clay soils (arcillo-ferroso).
Rioja Alavesa	This subzone has the highest concentration of calcareous clay soils, the dominant soil type between the Cantabrian Mountains and the north bank of the Ebro River.
Rioja Oriental (formerly Baja)	Rioja Oriental spans the largest area of the three zones, and is defined by the land that is directly east of the Iregua River. It has some iron-rich clay, but most of the lower, flatter areas are characterized by alluvial, silty soils.