Wine: Five interesting bottles to try from Ireland’s favourite old-world region

Sound familiar? That distinctive character helped make Rioja the most popular old-world wine region among Irish wine drinkers, ahead even of Bordeaux, according to recent IWSR data. We Irish love Rioja; we grew up with it and it retains appeal across generations, even if younger drinkers lean to the fresher, fruitier styles that the region now also offers alongside traditional oaked styles.

Today, 90pc of Riojan wines remain red (the other 10pc being white, rosé and sparkling wines), but their character is more varied. Much are still oak-aged, but with a shift away from sweet vanilla, toffee and coffee notes of new American oak, and towards more subtle oaking to support rather than dominate the fruit. There is greater emphasis on expressing the grapes themselves, the varieties used and where they were grown, across what the region’s promoters now dub ‘100km of diversity’.

Using older, second-use barrels is one way of downplaying the oak, or bigger vessels to dial up the ratio of wine to wood. More winemakers now use finer-grained, nuanced French oak instead of American oak, or a bit of both. Today’s wine of the week is unusually aged in barrels built with American oak staves as the sides and French oak as the top lid and base.

According to Grupo Rioja, four out of 10 bottles sold here in 2022 were Rioja Reserva, which is the Goldilocks of the minimum-ageing classification system in terms of price point and oak influence. Reserva wines spend one year in oak of their three years minimum ageing. In comparison, Crianza (at least a year each in oak and bottle) accounted for 18.4pc of sales and Gran Reserva (five or more years ageing, with at least two in oak) just 4.4pc, presumably due to its premium price point. The other 35pc doesn’t conform to the Reserva-style classifications, some of it young and fruity and unoaked, some of it taking a fresh approach to that oaking.

This month’s Eat Spain Drink Spain events include WineOnline’s Rioja Wine Festival in Dublin’s Alex Hotel (October 19), with over 30 wineries, including today’s Bideona, Lan and De Alto Amo. For Rioja fans, it’s an opportunity to taste the diverse and changing styles for yourself.

Wines of the Week

Bodegas Lan Rioja Crianza 2020, Spain, 13.5pc, €20.95 From a winery experimenting within the traditional minimum-ageing classification, this was aged for 14 months in hybrid oak barrels of American oak staves and French tops and base, and drinks more like a Reserva (and its nuanced Vina Lanciano Rioja Reserva 2017, €39.95, more like a Gran Reserva). Bright yet complex, with lovely purity of concentrated juicy fruits given understated spicing (think frankincense, French polish, cinnamon and sweet toffee.) A versatile style with broad appeal. Avoca, Alain and Christine’s (Kenmare), JJ O’Driscoll (Cork), theallotment.ie, wineonline.ie

Bodega Patrocinio Sancho Garcés Rioja Crianza 2020, Spain 15pc, €12.99 Aged for 12 months in oak, this super-value Crianza punches above its price point and delivers traditional Rioja autumnal appeal with sweet inviting oak spice and tea-chest perfume framing the rich bramble fruit. Sip fireside or pair with bold burgers, pulled pork, spiced stews or punchy pastas. Molloy’s; molloys.ie

Bideona Tempranillo de Laderas 2021, Rioja Alavesa, Spain 14pc, €19.50 A modern, cooler-climate Tempranillo from hillside (‘laderas’) limestone-based vineyards, this is fragrant and lifted with rich bramble fruit elegantly framed by leather and spice, velvet-plush in texture with vibrancy on the fresh and herbal finish. Go earthy lamb. Pinto Wines, DrinkStore, Green Man Wines, Sweeney’s D3, Baggot Street Wine, wineonline.ie

Monte Real Rioja Gran Reserva 2016, Spain, 14pc, €19.95 Brazil nuts, leather, balsamic and preserved plums meet dried fruit, spice, pepper and power. Reduced from €34.95 for the next few months under various promotions (including the Rioja Harvest promotion, October 18-28), this is a lovely example of Gran Reserva’s oak age meets tertiary development style. obrienswine.ie

De Alto Amo La Planta Magica, Rioja, Spain, 13.5pc, €20 (from €28.50) A modern take on old bush-vine Garnacha made by Irish MW Fergal Tynan, who presents a masterclass at October’s Rioja Festival. Pure yet bursting with wild red fruits and red liquorice aromas, with plush texture but fresh and lifted by delicate acidity. Think proper pork chops or sweet-salty cheese. wineonline.ie