THE UNEXPECTED – Sparkling Rioja

A category that surprised everyone

When you think of Rioja, sparkling wine probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. For over a century, this region built its reputation on aged reds – Tempranillo-based wines that spend years in American oak barrels before release. Around 93% of Rioja’s plantings are red grapes. Sparkling wine? That was Cava’s territory, or Champagne’s domain.

Then in 2017, the Consejo Regulador made it official. They created a new category called “Espumosos de Calidad de Rioja” – quality sparkling wines from Rioja. Within this designation sits Gran Añada, which requires the wines to age on their lees for at least 36 months. The same requirement as vintage Champagne.

This wasn’t a complete surprise to everyone. Some Rioja producers had been making sparkling wines for decades, even over a century in a few cases. Parts of Rioja have long been authorized to produce Cava under Spain’s broader sparkling wine denomination. But this was different – these were distinctly Riojan sparklers with their own identity and regulations.

What makes Rioja sparklers different

The method is the same as Champagne and Cava – traditional method, or “método tradicional” in Spanish. The second fermentation happens in the bottle, creating those fine, persistent bubbles. The wines must be hand-harvested (for vintage Gran Añada), undergo second fermentation in bottle, and age on their lees for extended periods. Minimum 15 months for the basic category, 24 months for Reserva, and 36 months for Gran Añada.

But here’s where it gets interesting: the grapes are different. Champagne uses Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Cava traditionally relies on Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel·lo – three white varieties you’ve probably never heard of unless you’re deep into Spanish wine.

Rioja uses its own varieties. All the authorized red and white grapes from the region are permitted: Viura (the workhorse white), Tempranillo Blanco (that 1988 mutation), Malvasía, Garnacha Blanca, even Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in the mix. For rosé sparklers, at least 25% must be red grapes – Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo, or Maturana Tinta.

This means sparkling Rioja can taste radically different from Champagne or Cava. Some producers make blanc de blancs styles from pure Viura. Others blend multiple varieties. There are even experimental versions using the nearly-extinct indigenous grapes. The toasty, brioche-like notes from lees aging combine with the fresh fruit character of Rioja’s grapes – citrus, green apple, stone fruit, sometimes hazelnut or dried Mediterranean herbs.

The alcohol must sit between 11-13%, keeping things refreshing. Sweetness levels follow the same categories as Champagne: Brut Nature (0-3 g/l sugar), Extra Brut (0-6 g/l), and Brut (0-12 g/l). Most producers aim for Brut or Extra Brut – dry, food-friendly styles.

Why is this surprising?

Rioja’s entire identity revolves around aging. The region’s classification system – Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva – is based on how long wines spend in oak barrels and bottles before release. Some Gran Reservas aren’t released for a decade after harvest. The famous producers hold massive barrel inventories. It’s a region that celebrates patience and tradition.

Sparkling wine works differently. It’s about freshness, precision, and immediate appeal. The base wines are kept neutral – low alcohol, high acidity, minimal oak influence. Then comes the magic of bottle fermentation and lees aging. It’s a completely different mindset from making age-worthy reds.

The surprise is that Rioja, famous for doing one thing extraordinarily well, officially embraced something entirely different. And they didn’t just dabble – they created serious regulations, requiring the same extended aging as vintage Champagne for their top tier.

It signals something important: Rioja isn’t stuck in amber. The region that defined Spanish wine through tradition is now exploring what else its grapes and terroir can do.

How does it compare?

Against Champagne: More affordable (significantly), different fruit profile (Mediterranean versus northern French), often less acidic but with similar complexity from lees aging. Champagne’s cool climate creates wines with razor-sharp acidity and austere fruit. Rioja’s warmer conditions produce riper fruit flavors while still maintaining freshness.

Against Cava: Similar traditional method production, but completely different grapes and terroir. Cava comes primarily from Catalonia’s Penedès region (though it’s produced in other Spanish regions too). The Mediterranean climate is shared, but the grape varieties give Cava its distinctive profile – often crisper, with green apple and almond notes. Sparkling Rioja shows more diversity because it can use the region’s full palette of varieties.

The real difference? Sparkling Rioja can use Tempranillo – Spain’s most famous red grape – in the blend for rosé versions. This gives some sparklers a character you won’t find anywhere else. Imagine the structure of Tempranillo translated into bubbles.

The current reality

Sparkling Rioja remains tiny – a fraction of the region’s production. Most producers still focus on what made them famous: age-worthy reds. But interest is growing. The first single-vineyard sparkling Viñedo Singular was recently approved, combining two of Rioja’s new classifications in one bottle.

These aren’t wines trying to be Champagne or compete with Cava on price. They’re distinctly Riojan, carrying the region’s personality – its grapes, its terroir, its commitment to quality – into a completely different format. That’s what makes them worth paying attention to.

THE PINK REVOLUTION – Rosado

From clarete to modern rosé

Rioja has a long tradition of making pink wines, though the style has evolved dramatically. The original version was called clarete – a field blend of red and white grapes with one to two days of maceration. These could range from dark pink to pale red depending on the vintage and the percentage of red and white grapes used.

Under current regulations, rosado wines must contain at least 25% of red grapes (Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo, or Maturana Tinta). They can include white varieties like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or Verdejo, but these cannot be the predominant variety in the blend.

Modern Rioja rosados often use the sangrado (saignée) technique. This “bleeding off” of juice from red wine tanks results in deeper-colored, richer wines with pronounced strawberry and citrus notes.

There’s a growing movement toward terroir-driven rosados. Producers are increasingly sourcing grapes from specific sites rather than blending from across the region. High-altitude vineyards (500 meters and above) are particularly sought after for rosado production, as the cooler temperatures help retain freshness and acidity.

Climate change is making these higher-altitude sites more viable. The highest Rioja vineyards reach around 750-800 meters, where cooler conditions create wines with bright acidity and elegant fruit profiles.os

THE INNOVATORS – White Varieties

La Rioja isn’t just about reds

Viura accounts for around 69% of white grape plantings in Rioja. It’s also called Macabeo in most of Spain and has been the dominant white variety in the region since the 1970s.

Viura is vigorous and makes versatile, food-friendly wines with subtle citrus and green apple notes and moderate acidity. The vine undergoes bud break later than many varieties, which helps protect it from spring frosts, though it tends to overproduce. Nearly half of Rioja’s Viura vines are more than 40 years old.

But Rioja has been bringing back native white varieties. Tempranillo Blanco comes from a natural genetic mutation discovered in 1988 in a single cane of a red Tempranillo vine in an old vineyard in Murillo de Río Leza. It now makes up around 12% of white plantings. It has fruity, intense aromas of bananas, citrus fruit and tropical fruit.

Maturana Blanca is the oldest grape variety to have a written record in Rioja, being mentioned in a text dating to 1622. It accounts for less than 1% of white plantings. Maturana Blanca wines are greenish yellow, with fruity aromas of apples underscored by grassy notes. It’s exclusive to Rioja.

Modern additions include Verdejo at around 5%, Chardonnay at around 2%, and Sauvignon Blanc at around 3%. These foreign white varieties cannot be the predominant variety in the final composition of the wine.

White Rioja can be fresh and young or aged in oak for years, developing complexity that rivals great white Burgundy.

THE WORKHORSE – Mazuelo (Cariñena)

Mazuelo makes up around 2% of La Rioja’s red grape plantings. In most of the wine world, this grape is called Carignan or Cariñena, but in Rioja it goes by Mazuelo.

Tempranillo-heavy wines from Rioja sometimes include small amounts of Mazuelo to add acidity, color and tannin. The grape has high tannins, high acidity and is relatively full-bodied.

That toughness is exactly why blenders want it. In less fertile areas, with good soils, old vines and limited production, quality wines can be obtained. Mazuelo needs higher heat to ripen, with late budding and mid-season to late ripening. It’s particularly sensitive to powdery mildew.

Outside of Catalonia (where it’s more common as Cariñena), Mazuelo is mostly a secondary blending variety in Rioja, though a few producers, such as Marqués de Murrieta, do make varietal examples.

Most drinkers will never taste a 100% Mazuelo wine. But in every Gran Reserva where it appears, even in small amounts, it’s doing the structural work that allows those wines to age for decades.