Rioja

Rioja is, along with Sherry, Spain's most famous wine region. Its red wines are based on the noble grape variety of Tempranillo. The red wines of Rioja are classified according their minimum ageing requirements in cask and bottle before being released to the market, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, with the term Cosecha being used for wines which are young, or do not tend to follow this classification. The wines have an affinity with oak, particularly with the more aromatic American oak, and like many other regions of the world there is tension between the traditionalists and the modernists, with the latter being exemplified by the wines of Artadi and Pujanza