Chardonnay and Sauvignon allowed in Rioja January 16, 2007
John Radford
Rioja winemakers can now use Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo in their white wines, the region's wine body has decreed.
The OIPVR (Organización Interprofesional del Vino de Rioja) said the grapes will be allowed from the 2007 vintage onwards, although none of them may be made as varietals, or in as a major part of a blend.
Apart from the stipulation that the three noble varieties may not, together or individually, make up more than 49% of the wine, there are no other limits on the use of other permitted grapes.
The decision follows nearly two years of debate since the foundation of the OIPVR, which was created to oversee marketing and regulation, absorbing in the process the Consejo Regulador (CRDOCa), which remains a policing authority.
One of the major sore points for winemakers in the region was the paucity of grape varieties available for making white wines. There were only three: Viura (Macabeo), Malvasía Riojana and the rare Garnacha Blanc.
Some lobbyists had also been pushing for the inclusion of red varietals Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah in the ruling. So far, they remain unsuccessful.
However, several old vine varieties which died out in the first half of the 20 century have been brought back. Maturana red, white and parda ('brown'), Tempranillo blanco, Turruntés and Monastel de Rioja are now permitted. Only the Maturana red and white have mature vines at the moment, the rest are in nurseries.
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Another step more to make the world of wine more globalised boring and less personal.
Is there not enough Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc arount the world?
Is there not enough overproduction of wine?
Insted of searching for something different, improving their wines or bringing back old fashion grapes, Rioja is just only capable of copying what the New World it's been doing for the last decade. Really original!
Not very clever idea from Rioja Wine producers.
We are we going?
The wine future is a bit dark.
More strick regulations are needed after these last to decades of scientist research in wine-growing and wine-making.
Some things shouldn't be allowed. DM
I note that your correspondents thus far seem to be against the idea - I wonder how many times they buy/order white wine from Rioja! I'm a wine writer living here in Spain and I never do - the permitted grapes thus far for Rioja white are characterless and one dimensional and for me taint the great name of Rioja. I welcome the addition of varieties which will enhance both the flavour of the wine and the reputation of the DO - 2007 already looks like being a good year! Colin Harkness
I agree with DM. Its a slippery slope. The big boys will love it. They can just keep pumping out the same old, same old without having to put any effort into exploring new possible and enjoyable grape varieties. It will make life so much simpler for all those wine writers out there as well. They won't have to put in a lot of time researching their material for their next boring article. Just google "Chardonnay" and they will get 10,000 entries to pick from.
Wilf Krutzmann, Fruit of the Vine Consulting, BC, Canada
My first reaction was, Verdejo - yeah, Sauvignon Blanc - maybe, but Chardonnay - come on. But on reflection before and after reading what Colin Harkness wrote, I do not have fond thoughts of white rioja and maybe this will help. But I am very wary of this being abused, and maybe they should have done more 'due diligence' before approving this addition legally - hey that maybe an endorsement for IGT and the spanish equivalent (? VCIG ?).
Anyhow white rioja could use a shot in the arm but it ought to be done with some awarness of what happens in places like Soave and their abuse of certain allowed varieties. I am sure the Rioja Consejo Regulador has tired of watching it's vaunted DOCa being passed by Rias Baixas and Rueda for whites. Christopher Miller
DM and Wilf seems to be confirmed ABC-ers but I agree with Colin.
Few food lovers complained about too many chocolate desserts. It's an undeniable constant in universal life but they all taste different, just like Chardonnay from Chassagne and Puligny.
Simon Tam, Director, International Wine Centre, Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai
Who are thes Big Boys that Wilf talks about? Can he name one Big Boy producer of white wine (or red for that matter) in Rioja? This isn't Bordeaux or Napa, where the huge industrial giants have long ago moved in and are cranking out wine by the millions of litres.
Has DM ever had a white Rioja? They are nearly impossible to find, even if you live in the country, as Colin points out.
This isn't evil globalisation, this is progress. Why shouldn't winemakers be given a little more flexibility to allow them to be able to make white wines in their appellation if they currently can't easily today? Appellations are cultural constructs. They have always changed through history and they will continue to in the future.
Besides, there will always be some old-school winemakers doing exactly as they have done, so the uptight traditionalists will always be able to get wines made in their precious "old-school" fashion. Not everyone in Tuscany uses new French oak now that it is permitted, right? Alder Yarrow, Vinography.Com
Who are the big boys? How about Constellation brands, the" if you can't beat them, buy them out"company. The Rioja vintners will find it difficult to compete with the competitive edge, mass produced Chards they can put out there. Perhaps, the Rioja winemakers should concentrate on improving their whites from the ground up and give the world a unique white wine worthy of consideration.
Wilf Krutzmann,CSW, Fruit of the Vine Consulting, BC, Canada
These are some rather pessimistic views. White Rioja is a failure in most respects and producers should be given a chance to improve it. Not all tradition is good - we who seek it look in other places rather than in those where it fails so why shouldn´t they be allowed new means to increase standards which will become a new and established tradition. Producers will hopefully create exciting blends, more complex than the old tradition allowed. Anon
Somewhat taken aback at first, upon further reflection I think the approval of new white grape varietals in Rioja--yes, even Chardonnay--is not such a bad thing at all. The 49% ceiling precludes the outcome traditionalists fear the most: 100% Chardonnay Rioja butterballs indistinguishable from their counterparts in California or Australia.
No matter how you slice it, Viura has its limits.
The Gran Reserva Vina Tondonia Blancos from Lopez de Heredia in Rioja Alta, with 15% Malvasia and aged for a staggering number of years before release, is, of course, the great exception; it's one of the world's most food friendly and seductive white wines. I don't think Maria Jose and Mercedes will be adding Verdejo to their white blend anytime soon; their unwavering commitment to tradition--bolstered by ardent fans among wine lovers and the wine media elite around the world--means that the bodega's white, reds, and roses will remain blessedly impervious to outside permutations for a long time to come.
As much as I enjoy some barrel fermented/barrel aged Rioja whites (Muga, Remirez de Ganuza, the hard-to-find but delightfully smoky Sonsierra Blanco), for these guys, vinification is the thing, not necessarily soil specificity. My hope is that, under the new rules, bodegas with access to high elevation vineyards in Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa would allow new varietals to express themselves without the undue influence of French oak--let the earth have its say, so to speak. Verdejo has done remarkably well in Rueda as a Viura substitute, made into exuberant unoaked wines with dazzling acidity; I am particularly eager to see how this grape will do in the extraordinary microclimates of northern Rioja.
One of my favorite modern white Riojas, the Blanco de Remelluri, employs not only Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, but also Viognier, Roussane, and Marsanne ("grandfathered" because of the grapes were planted before the last major varietal configuration.) Minerally and super-high in food-loving acidity, fermented in stainless steel, and aged for 15 months in barriques, I find this wine to be a glowing example of a modern winery harnessing "foreign" varietals, high elevation vineyards (800m), and judicious oak aging to create a white wine of substance and focus. I might wonder what it would taste like without oak at all, but the wine has tons of merit.
If that's the future of white Rioja, as long as Tondonia keeps on keeping on like a bird that flew, it sounds good to me.
Adrian Murcia
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The decision follows nearly two years of debate since the foundation of the OIPVR, which was created to oversee marketing and regulation, absorbing in the process the Consejo Regulador (CRDOCa), which remains a policing authority.
Another step more to make the world of wine more globalised boring and less personal.
