Rioja Vega tasting at Avanti, Kirkby Lonsdale

Rioja DOCa remains Spain’s most prestigious and well-known wine region. Aged red Rioja is predominant and rightly popular. Indeed, the UK remains Rioja’s largest export market. However, the Rioja region has had a welcome rejuvenation over the past few years, with new wines and styles gaining acclaim. Hence, the opportunity to attend a tasting of the wines made by the Rioja Vega winery wasn’t to be missed. This took place at the Avanti Restaurant and Bar in Kirkby Lonsdale, a historic and scenic market town in Cumbria.

Avanti Restaurant and Bar

Avanti interior

In the heart of Kirkby Lonsdale, Avanti shows a listed Georgian shop frontage to casual passers-by. But step inside and there’s a modern, airy dining space on two floors. This is further augmented by a charming walled garden at the back. Altogether, it’s an attractive blend of classic and innovative. And, as it transpires, that’s rather like the wines being shown.

This convivial and stylish space serves a menu of Spanish, Italian and other Mediterranean dishes. Additionally, there is a carefully curated wine list (with some one hundred wines), including those of Rioja Vega.

The food for the evening required authentic Spanish flavours to show the wines to best advantage. What better than Tapas? Gordal olives, Croquetas de Bacalao, and Patatas Bravas. Serrano ham, Catalan chorizo, Morcilla and Manchego cheese with Membrillo. Favourites all.

Rioja Vega winery

The Winery

Rioja Vega is one of the oldest Rioja wine businesses, founded in 1882 by Don Felipe Ugalde. That makes it one of the few wineries dating back to the start of Riojan wine culture as we recognise it today. Indeed, it predates phylloxera, which arrived from France in 1898.

Rioja Vega also predates the creation of the Rioja appellation in 1925. Consequently, there are but a handful of Riojan wineries able to include the word Rioja in their brand name.

You might imagine that all this history puts them firmly in the “traditionalist” camp, but far from it.

In 1982, Rioja Vega was bought by Grupo Príncipe de Viana. This retained the winery’s identity but also brought welcome new investment. A brand-new winery was created in 2001, some ten km from Logroño, on the north bank of the River Ebro. It’s surrounded by some 70 hectares of vineyards. These are supplemented, as is common, by contract growers.

Rioja Vega is a medium-sized company, making 1.5 million bottles annually, and with a focus on quality and sustainability, using modern technology where appropriate. Hence, their wine range can be broadly divided into “classic” and “innovative” wines.

As for sustainability, suffice it to say here that this business has taken sustainability seriously for the past 20 years. Research programmes have significantly reduced energy, water and waste, while vineyard sensors enable real-time monitoring of soils and vines.

The Wines

Rioja Vega has a wide range of wines. Those shown are a representative selection of both their classic and innovative styles, at different quality levels and price points. Consequently, there are two whites, then four reds and a rosé to finish. All are Rioja DOCa, all made by winemaker Esperanza Elias.

The wines are all vegan and vegetarian, because (I assume) no animal products are used in the wine fining process. Technical notes were reconfirmed after the event, and any errors made are, of course, my own. Also, as one of Rioja’s defining characteristics is the plethora of strict ageing rules and descriptions, these are included for clarity where appropriate. The prices given are retail take-home from Avanti.

Blanco Joven

1. Blanco Joven, 2023. 12%

Technical

55% Tempranillo Blanco, 40% Viura (Macabeo) and 5% Verdejo. Joven style, so bottled young (without ageing) under screw cap. No oak and designed for immediate drinking.

Tasting

Here’s a blend of traditional and modern. That’s because the relative newcomer Tempranillo Blanco (a natural mutation of the red Tempranillo only discovered in Rioja in 1988) meets traditional Viura, with a splash of Verdejo added for extra zip.

It’s pale yellow, with clean and fresh white flower aromas and stony notes. Pear is the predominant flavour, with citrus nuances. There’s a moreish creamy texture, and a slightly tropical note on the crisp, clean finish.

A well-balanced value wine for “easy” youthful drinking, perhaps on a summer day or informal occasions over the next two years. Drink as an aperitivo, or try it with seafood such as mussels. Robust enough to enjoy with those Gordal olives too.

A good value introduction to white Rioja, which also shows how Tempranillo Blanco is helping to rejuvenate Riojan white wines. £12.99

Blanco Reserva

2. Tempranillo Blanco Reserva, 2020. 12.5%

Technical

The 100% Tempranillo Blanco grapes are selected from an 8-year-old single vineyard at 440 metres in the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria. Harvested at dawn, with slow fermentation in new French and Hungarian oak barrels, lasting 30 days, then aged on the lees for six months.

Afterwards, it ages in French oak barrels for one year and is then given a further year in the bottle. (A white Reserva must age for a minimum of two years, of which six months must be in an oak barrel of 225 litres). Just 3,894 numbered bottles, using corks.

Tasting

This is at the other end of the spectrum entirely, offering a taste of the winegrowers’ art. It’s a complex white wine, and rather like an excellent white Burgundy, will benefit from decanting, and from leaving the glass to fully open up and evolve over, say, 10-20 minutes, so don’t rush it!

Golden in the glass, initially the initial aromas are of white flowers, citrus fruits and vanilla. Let it open up and new dimensions emerge – almonds, green figs, honey, smoke and bergamot, which are reprised on the palate.

There’s an excellent balance of acidity and alcohol, the flavours bound in creamy texture before a lingering mineral finish. Drinking now and for the next decade. It’s an outstanding wine and my Wine of the Evening.

£49.99. So a wine for special occasions, but it’s worth every penny. Excellent with the Croquetas de Bacalao, this would be equally at home with richly sauced fish dishes, truffles or asparagus in hollandaise. Alternatively, pair with the fine flavours of Lobster Thermidor.

Tempranillo Tinto Joven

3. Tempranillo Tinto Joven, 2023. 13.5%

Technical

Joven, so no oak ageing and designed for young drinking. This entry-level red is 90% Tempranillo Tinta and 10% Garnacha, fermented in stainless steel and then bottled young under cork.

Tasting

This is essentially the red entry-level companion to the white Joven above, a deliberately informal “easy” drinking style. It could even stand a light chill for a summer’s day.

The added Garnacha fills the wine out and keeps it from being too lean or austere, adding a slight plushness.

Relatively light cherry red, there’s a pretty nose of juicy red fruit in the cherry and red berry range. There’s a good balance of components and a fresh, clean finish. Drink as an aperitivo or with lighter Tapas. Paella and Pasta dishes, too.

Tinto Crianza

4. Tinto Crianza, 2019, 14%

Technical

A blend of 80% Tempranillo with 15% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo. The grapes are mainly machine-harvested. Fermentation is in a mix of steel tanks and concrete vats, which provides a wider palette for the winemaker to blend from.

Rioja Crianza level requires two years ageing, of which at least one year must be in an oak barrel of 225 litres. This example has a minimum of one year of oak. The barrels are all US oak, being a mix of 2, 3 and 4 years old. After blending, there are another 12 months of bottle maturation under cork.

This example was served from Magnum, so it had an extra two months of maturation as wine in Magnums age slower. 2019 was also a particularly good year. 300,000 bottles annually, this is a key wine in the portfolio.

Tasting

A dark, rich ruby, a lot is going on here. Aromas and flavours are bold, centred on red cherry and with a little black cassis. There’s oak too, but this integrates so it offers a sense of support rather than dominance. The oak shows vanilla and cinnamon, but subtly. There’s an elegant, silken texture, fine balance and a long fade.

For me, this Crianza red wine offers the best balance of fresh fruit and integrated oak flavours at present, and the combination here feels especially well judged. Delicious now, and will drink well for a decade or more.

Food-wise, this is super-versatile, pairing with a wide range of meat and plant-based cuisines from Britain, the Mediterranean or the Far East. Excellent value at £15.99, or £30.00 for a Magnum (which I bought).

Tinto Reserva

5. Tinto Reserva, 2018. 14%

Technical

Reserva is the next step up from Crianza. A blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo. Red Rioja Reserva stipulates a minimum of three years ageing, of which at least one year must be spent in an oak barrel, plus there must also be at least six months in bottle.

This example was given 24 months in barrel and the remainder in bottle under cork. This time the oak was a combination of French and US oak barrels.

Tasting

Darker and denser in colour than the Crianza. Once again, this wine offers a judicious balance between fruit and oak aromas and flavours, the wood being a little more toasty, a little less vanilla, and some additional torrefaction complexity.

Full-bodied, the alcohol is rated at 14%, like the Crianza. This Reserva feels like a little more than the Crianza, so maybe that’s in the percentage rounding. The tannins are polished to a shine, and there’s masses of juicy, darker fruit in the plum and blackberry spectrum.

Drinking now and will repay keeping over many years. Needs food, and worth an hour’s decanting before serving. If you love the classic match of roast lamb on a Sunday, this is the wine to do it justice. Excellent value at £20.99

Tinto Gran Reserva

6. Tinto Gran Reserva, 2018. 14%

Technical

A Gran Reserva has the longest maturation period. For reds, this means a minimum of five years, with a minimum of two years in an oak barrel and a minimum of two years in bottle. This example has two years in US oak barrels followed by three years in the bottle under cork. It’s a blend of 75% Tempranillo with 20% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo. 30-35,000 bottles annually.

Tasting

This is still young for a Gran Reserva, so the oaky barrel work in the “classic” Rioja style is still dominant. However, the quality and weight of the ripe black fruit (plum, damson, blueberry) will integrate this oak over time. Hence, I’d leave this for another 2-3 years. The wine will age well for a couple of decades. Alternatively, decant for a couple of hours before serving, but its best years are still to come.

In the glass, dense and dark, without any hints of browning. Those black fruits and vanilla oak dominate the nose and palate. The texture is smooth and rich, though some angular tannins poke through and just need more time. There’s a balsamic savoury note on a smoky almond finish.

This wine demands big food and powerful flavours, so the Morcilla worked well, smoothing the tannins and providing a counterpoint to the dense fruit of the wine. Think roasts, stews and mushrooms.

This is an excellent wine, value-priced at £23.99.

Rosado de Tempranillo

7. Rosado de Tempranillo, 2021. 12.5%

Technical

This blends the two Tempranillo varieties, namely 50% Tempranillo Tinta (red) and 50% Tempranillo Blanca (white). The red grapes are from 30-year-old bush vines, the white grapes from young vines.

The red grapes get just a couple of hours of skin contact, so their juice is pink. Hence, the overall colour when blended with the yellow-white blanca is onion skin. It’s not a blend of a white base wine with a red base wine. No oak ageing, to drink young and fresh. Limited production, numbered bottles sealed by cork. This one was 2,329 of 2,670.

Tasting

An attractive onion-skin pink, this wine is bone-dry and a clever blend of the two Tempranillo varieties. As well as that attractive colour, there are lively aromas of red berries, which reprise on the palate, with a satisfying fresh, zippy finish and the merest hint of tannin. If only more Rosado examples were as vivacious as this!

An excellent palate cleanser after the reds. A fine aperitivo or a partner for Tapas. Drink now.

£20.99. Perhaps slightly expensive in this line-up, but unsurprising with such small amounts made.

And Finally

These wines are excellent ambassadors for Rioja. They ably demonstrate why Rioja retains such prestige, offering a hard-to-beat combination of high quality, value pricing, food friendliness, and a suitability for various occasions, both informal and formal.

My thanks to Graeme and Gillian Gladwinfield of Avanti, Luis Marculeta of Rioja Vega, and Sandy Potts of Lakeland Vintners. Together, they created a magical evening. Salud!

Rioja Vega tasting at Avanti, Kirkby Lonsdale