📍 Rioja Alta
The cool western part around Haro.
Rioja Alta is shaped by clay and cool air. Its soils are mostly iron-rich clay mixed with limestone, and the climate is Atlantic-influenced, cooler than in the east of Rioja. Vineyards lie at roughly 470 to 650 m above sea level.
This is the western part of Rioja, around the town of Haro, and the largest of its subzones, at around 27,900 hectares. The main grapes are Tempranillo and Graciano.
Rioja as a whole became Spain's first DOCa in 1991, and Rioja Alta belongs to that denomination. Rioja lies in northern Spain, and its three subzones are Alta, Alavesa and Oriental.
How it connects to Wine
📍 Rioja Alta ← grows in ← 🍇 Graciano → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 📍 Rioja
- Related to
- 🍷 López de Heredia (Haro, Barrio de la Estación), 🍷 CVNE (Haro), 🍷 Bodegas Muga (Haro, Barrio de la Estación), 🍷 La Rioja Alta, S.A. (Haro, Barrio de la Estación), 🍷 Marqués de Cáceres (Cenicero, La Rioja)
- Grapes
- 🍇 Tempranillo, 🍇 Graciano
Frequently asked questions
What soils does Rioja Alta have?
Mostly iron-rich clay mixed with limestone.
Is Rioja Alta the largest subzone?
Yes, around 27,900 hectares.
When did Rioja become a DOCa?
In 1991, the first in Spain.
What to read next
- 🍷 CVNE — Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España, a Rioja wine company founded in Haro in 1879 by two brothers and still controlled by their descendants; brands Cune, Imperial, Viña Real and Contino.
- 🍷 Marqués de Cáceres — A Rioja winery in Cenicero founded in 1970 by Enrique Forner, who brought Bordeaux techniques with the help of the oenologist Émile Peynaud; now run by his daughter Cristina.
- 🍷 López de Heredia — A Rioja winery in Haro founded in 1877 by Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta; its best-known wine comes from the Viña Tondonia vineyard, planted in 1913–1914.
- 🍷 Bodegas Muga — A family winery in the Barrio de la Estación of Haro (Rioja), founded in 1932 by Isaac Muga and Aurora Caño and run by three generations; it uses oak throughout winemaking and ageing.
- 🍷 La Rioja Alta, S.A. — A Rioja winery in the Station District of Haro, founded in 1890 by five Riojan and Basque families; known for Gran Reserva 890, Gran Reserva 904 and Viña Ardanza.
Similar
📍 Rioja Oriental · 📍 Rioja Alavesa · 📍 Valdizarbe · 📍 Ribera Alta (Navarre) · 📍 El Molar · 📍 Arganda
Sources
- MAPA: Denominaciones de origen
- eAmbrosia – EU geographical indications register
- Winetraveler
- Wine With Seth
- Sommelier Academy