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Technical sheet: Magazine

LA RIOJA

Article

THE VERY BEST RIOJA WINES

AuthorPABLO G. MANCHA

Publication date

NOVEMBER 2011

Translation: LA RIOJA newspaper LA RIOJA newspaper LA RIOJA newspaper LA RIOJA newspaper

The very best Riojan wines

Treasures f Treasures f Treasures f Treasures from the Rioja Baja.rom the Rioja Baja.rom the Rioja Baja.rom the Rioja Baja.

Being considered so far as the poorestrelative from the region of the sub –zone of

 the Designation of Origin, the Rioja Baja isstarting to reveal little by little the secrethidden in a hard but powerful and gratefulland, a strict microclimate and decisive andenterprising inhabitants.

(photo caption: Yerga from an aerialperspective. This mountain range is one of

 the most important reserves of vineyards in the Rioja Baja. JUSTO RODRÍGUEZ JUSTO RODRÍGUEZ JUSTO RODRÍGUEZ JUSTO RODRÍGUEZ)

RIOJAN GRENACHERIOJAN GRENACHERIOJAN GRENACHERIOJAN GRENACHE

Grenache is the variety which has defined theRioja Baja historically speaking.

PABLO G. MANCHAPABLO G. MANCHAPABLO G. MANCHAPABLO G. MANCHA

LOGROÑO. The Yerga Mountain Range,from Alfaro to Quel, together with Grávalos,Aldeanueva and Autol, is one of the mostsurprising and unknown areas covered withvineyards within the Designation of Origin.Tempranillo is the widest spread grapevariety, however, Grenache is the grape typewhich best adapts itself to the climaticcharacteristics of the region. The queen ofMediterranean influence climate, as oncedefined by one of its greatest ambassadorsaround the world: the winemaker fromAlfaro, Álvaro Palacios. Gabriel Alonso deHerrera, in the 1513, used to say that if the“Aragonés (former primitive name for thisgrape variety) is grown in flat lands, a darkred wine is obtained, and if it is grown in highand sandy soils, the wine gets clearer then”.In the Rioja Baja, only 4000 out of 23251

hectares represent a variety which has beendecreasing significantly in the last years asregards cultivation plots.

The origin of Grenache is pretty uncertain,and there are some hypotheses, such as thatof the German historian Schultz, affirm that

 the ‘Granaticum’ could come fromGranada,

 the capital of the Arabian kingdom up to the year 1492, from where such grapewas spread by means of the usage of theMálaga Port as a way out. It is famous forbeing sensitive to wrong floweringlandslide and for being also an especiallyrustic variety. Experts point out that, if itrains when it blooms, its best results willappear.

Wine is a dreamWine is a dreamWine is a dreamWine is a dreamÁlvaro Palacios or the reason for theinfinite Grenache.

PABLO G. MANCHAPABLO G. MANCHAPABLO G. MANCHAPABLO G. MANCHA

ALFARO.... Álvaro Palacios could be said to sing rather than spell what he callsYerga “block”. It flows out of his soul

 through his lips when saying that “it isone of the arms of the Moncayo Mount,in the Demanda Mountain Range, of theIberian System, which is packed withamazing wines, fundamental for our

history”. But, besides, Yerga hides loadsof secrets: “here lies an undeniable

 telluric character, with its unbelievablemicroclimate; it can even hold somemystical or spiritual reminiscence. Itdefinitely has sedimentation ofwinemaking culture, which has left uswith a catalogue of varieties perfectlyadapted to this habitat for generations.This is part of an incalculable heritagebecause it implies some grape varietieswhich are perfectly tuned with their

environment, in a total harmony since time immemorial”.

And, according to Álvaro, that is the realorigin of the queen of these vineyards;

 the Grenache: “From Alfaro up to theOcón Valley and from Tudelilla until

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other sides and high valleys belonging to theIberian System, even the Rioja Alta, inCordovín and the Najerilla river shore, is theowner of as long bouquets as the bestchampagne in France”, affirms a man who is

not keen on half-way points.This is the reason why he strives to dignifythe wine from a region he does not call RiojaBaja: “I prefer the terms Mediterranean Riojaor Rioja Oriental and Rioja luminosa; I hopeto return its own rights to this land”, heassures outright.

However, he finds “curious that everyonehides the reality of our land. Every oldvineyard in Alfaro which is more than 50 or60 years old is composed of Grenache withtouches of Monastrell and Bobal, apart fromviura. Nowadays everybody follows morecomfortable trends and plants tempranilogrape in a region whose light and heat makeit not apt for such variety. Tempranillo is avariety with a short growing period and fastripening, getting overcooked with heat andbecoming a mere substitute of the fragrant,consistent and stylized tempranillo fromRioja Alta. I do not try to invent anythingnew; I am just recovering the wise traditionalviticulture. Therefore, I stand for Grenache,because it is the best one to transform

dryness and torridness into a refreshing andvital fluid. And here, in Yerga, the formula isGrenache in goblet, a tight density andorganic frame, and here I have no doubts”.

For Álvaro Palacios “a great wine is themagical and indescribable expression ofnature. And classical wine is not a productsample, a trademark or a manmade creation;a great classical wine it is just the strict andpure fruit of a privileged place. Furthermore,it must remain in time”. With these premises,Álvaro assures that 2013 vintage will bring

the great Yerga wine: “And it is already here,it is the product of this extraordinary place. Ihave done my best not to ruin it and I knowit belongs to this region and cannot becreated because it precedes to oneself.Great wines come from a constellation ofvineyards which have been unaltered withthe passing of time and out of thesevineyards, one, two or three places aregranted with a special caress by the wind, aspecial soil temperature or that mineral notethat makes a wine better than the rest”.

“The gr “The gr “The gr “The great Yerga wine is already here, it iseat Yerga wine is already here, it iseat Yerga wine is already here, it iseat Yerga wine is already here, it isthe fruit of this extraordinary place”the fru it of this extraordinary place”the fruit of this extraordinary place”the fru it of this extraordinary place”

“Grenache is the best to transform“Grenache is the best to transform“Grenache is the best to transform“Grenache is the best to transformdryness and torridness into a refreshingdryness and torridness into a refreshingdryness and torridness into a refreshingdryness and torridness into a refreshingand vital fluid”and vital fluid”and vital fluid”and vital fluid”