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DOCa Rioja, recognised as a Denominación de Origen Calificada in 1991, is the historical benchmark of Spanish wine. Three sub-zones define its diversity: Rioja Alta, with an Atlantic climate and clay-limestone soils, produces wines of great structure and acidity; Rioja Alavesa, in Basque Country on similar calcareous soils, yields more elegant wines in smaller volumes; Rioja Oriental (formerly Baja), with Mediterranean influence and alluvial soils, contributes body and alcohol.
Tempranillo dominates the blend, complemented by Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo in reds, and Viura, Malvasía and Garnacha Blanca in whites. The traditional ageing classification — Joven, Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva — has coexisted since 2017 with a new territorial hierarchy: Viñedo Singular (single vineyard), Municipio and Zona, allowing the origin to be identified with the precision of a Bordeaux appellation.
The major independent producers — many of them historic houses — coexist with a new generation of growers committed to organic viticulture, spontaneous fermentation and century-old bush vines.
