Rioja and Food

Posted by Andrew Barrow, 1:23pm 24/07/2007. Leave a comment

Just been flicking through a trade magazine and stumbled upon some Rioja and food matching suggestions. It's a mag for the on-trade, bars and restaurants, and while the article didn't go into any great depth the basic suggestions were good and fitted into the range we currently have.

While Rioja is a widely recognised wine 'name' (UK consumer awareness is apparently at 74%) less well known are the styles of Rioja which are based on the age of the wine in question.

At the youngest level you have Joven which are unoaked wines, rising through the ranks to Gran Reserva. The production rules for Gran Reserva stipulate that the wine must spend at least two years in oak and a minimum of three in bottle before release. What this means is that each 'level' is distinctly different and thus suitable for matching with different foods.

The article, in Imbibe magazine, makes the following suggestions (I've appended some suggested wines from our Spanish list).

• Rioja Tinto Joven (unoaked wine for early drinking) - roast lemon chicken, cheese. The Rioja Tempranillo, Vega del Rayo 2004 would be an excellent choice.
• Rioja Tinto Crianza (minimum one year in oak casks) - lemon-rubbed salmon, pasta with a tomato-based sauce. The Rioja Puerta Vieja 'Crianza', Bodegas Riojanas 2001 fits the bill perfectly.
• Rioja Tinto Reserva (aged three years, at least one in cask) - roast duck, pork with peppers, steak. Try our delicious Rioja Reserva, Bodegas Ondarre 2001
• Rioja Tinto Gran Reserva (only produced in exceptional years, at least two years in oak, and three in bottle) - game such as cinnamon-spiced venison casserole, roast lamb. A 'must try' is the Rioja Gran Reserva 'Monte Real', Bodegas Riojanas 1998; delicious.

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