Insider’s guide: What the locals are drinking in Rioja
For the ultimate insider’s guide to drinking Rioja – in Rioja – it makes sense to ask those who spend their days welcoming visitors, talking to producers and pouring the local wines.
People often ask me how I find new wines and producers. My winemaker friends are certainly very helpful, always pointing me in the direction of exciting projects.
Then there are local wine fairs, international shows and countless websites to search. But the answer is a lot simpler. I love chatting with local bar owners and restaurateurs to see what new discoveries or treasures they have to offer.
These are the people who drink with local winemakers and know first-hand what’s happening in the vineyards. They are also close to their customers and can spot changing consumer trends before we can even start to consider, let alone quantify them.
I talked with five business owners in the region, to find out what their customers are seeking in a glass of Rioja – and what they are drinking themselves!
Scroll down for an insider’s guide on what the locals are drinking
From young, fruity wines to aged classics, the people behind the bars of Rioja’s drinking establishments all agree that the region is at an exciting juncture.
Producers are making wines with a real sense of place, focused on terroir, that are of outstanding quality.
Perhaps Miguel Atxoteji from Arrope puts it best: ‘If the wines reflect the people and places that they are from, I’ll tell you their story.’
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Alberto Rodríguez
Owner: Torres Gastrobar, Logroño
Logroño is the capital of the autonomous community of Rioja and is home to many of the region’s winemakers and growers, as well as being a popular tourist destination.
Calle de San Juan is in the very centre of Logroño and most nights it’s heaving with people looking for pintxos (tapas) and a glass of wine or two.
Alberto Rodríguez is owner of Torres Gastrobar, one of San Juan’s favourite bars, and now stocks more than 150 wines. ‘We have very loyal customers who are always looking for new things,’ he says.
Often customers arrive in pairs or small groups and are looking for a wine to have with a specific pintxo. They tell Rodríguez what they like and what they don’t like, and he tries to guide them to the right match.
‘We have a lot of interaction with our customers who also share their own knowledge of wines with us.’
So, what are they looking for? ‘My customers are generally looking for fresher, fruit-forward wines, not so much oak. They aren’t always looking for the classics but something different.’
And what does Rodríguez think about these ‘classics’? ‘I love them, wines like La Rioja Alta, Roda, Contino… there are too many to name. For sure customers still love them, too, but their preferences have changed a lot.’ Rodríguez is excited by small growers and new producers, and a younger generation that is doing great things for the region.
‘I can’t name them because there are too many! They are all very, very good – it’s a really great moment in Rioja.’
Torres Gastrobar counts numerous bottlings from other regions of Spain in its collection. This is certainly an important change: 10 years ago it would have been more challenging to find wines from outside Rioja in the region’s local bars.
Perhaps this is a sign of a more mature, less parochial consumer who has confidence in the quality of Rioja and isn’t afraid to explore further afield.
Oleg Buyalo
Founder: Roots, Logroño & Haro
Roots, with sites in both Logroño and Haro, is another venue with a more global vision. A coffee shop in the mornings, it transforms into a vibrant wine bar as the sun goes down.
Founder Oleg Buyalo says their selection of wines is ‘contracorriente’ – it goes against the flow. In Rioja, he explains, it’s usual for customers to order a ‘crianza’, without worrying about the winery or its origin, but at Roots, you won’t find one.
‘It’s our way of making consumers more mindful so that they pay at least a little attention to what’s in their glass.’
The majority of Roots customers are wine professionals, so the bars also have a wide offering of wines from other parts of Spain, as well as international wines.
But within Rioja, Buyalo is excited by artisanal producers whose wines express where they come from. ‘Projects that, above all, are aiming for quality, regardless of the style of wine,’ he says.
Oleg has just come from a new vintage tasting with Rioja Alavesa producer Viñedos Hontza that featured its 2023 Garaya, a natural wine that comes from a field-blend parcel that’s more than a century old. ‘Impressive,’ he excitedly exclaims.
‘Another wine I can’t stop drinking is Lágrimas de Graciano from Bhilar (2022, £16.99 All About Wine). Electric!’ However, Buyalo is also a fan of Rioja’s wine and food traditions and can’t go past Cerro Las Cuevas from Gómez Cruzado (2021, £46.95-£47.95 Cheers, NY Wines) with chuletillas de cordero (lamb chops) at Logroño’s classic restaurant Mesón Charro.
And his favourite Rioja? ‘Without a doubt, Las Beatas from Telmo Rodríguez (2021, £239 Shelved Wine).’
Miguel Atxoteji & Jean Carlos Santiago
Owner & sommelier: Arrope, Haro
Also based in Haro, in Calle de la Vega, Miguel Atxoteji is owner of hotel and restaurant Arrope. He has about 380 wine references in his cellar, including many old vintages that he has collected to offer something special to his customers.
‘They are not all from famous producers, explains Atxoteji. ‘But they show the amazing ageing potential of Rioja.’ (Case in point, a bottle of a 1994 reserva that Atxoteji opened during our recent stay while tasting for the recent-release report.)
Atxoteji believes that Rioja is undergoing a lot of change that’s really positive for the region. ‘Young growers and winemakers are focused on the terroir, on a particular vineyard or parcel.’
Being surrounded by wineries, his business is intertwined with the future of the wine region, and he wants to support his friends and colleagues.
His sommelier Jean Carlos Santiago endorses this: ‘I talk to our customers about the families behind the wines and how they are made.’
These customers are coming from all over Spain and abroad to taste the wines of the region. The surprising attraction? Rioja’s white wines.
‘Many Americans, for instance, come here because they know the classic white wines from López de Heredia, but then they try all sorts of other styles while they are here,’ explains Atxoteji.
He notes that even his Spanish customers are gradually drinking more white wines, realising that Rioja offers something different to Galicia and Verdejo. And what about Miguel, what is he drinking?
‘If I’m enjoying wine while talking with friends, most likely a fresh and fruity maceración carbónica style of wine – but it depends on the occasion. I like modern wines like those from Cuentaviñas and classics like Marqués de Vargas or Murrieta.
Igor Arregi
Owner: Kaia-Kaipe, Getaria
The Basque Country, famed for its gastronomy, is on Rioja’s doorstep, so it seems only right that we go there for an authoritative word, to see if Rioja is in good standing with its neighbours.
Right by the picturesque port of Getaria on the Basque coast, Kaia-Kaipe opened in 1962. Apart from serving one of the best grilled turbots you can find, it also has a cellar packed with more than 1,500 wine references.
‘But of course, wines from Rioja are the ones we sell the most,’ says Igor Arregi, Kaia-Kaipe’s owner. ‘Being a restaurant that specialises in local produce and seasonal food, it is logical that our wines are also dominated by locally produced Txakolí [mostly light, crisp dry whites] and the neighbouring Rioja region.’
Arregi has also noted an important increase in the consumption of white and sparkling wines over the past decade. ‘In fact, around 15 years ago in Rioja nearly all the wineries started making white wines,’ he says.
This has resulted in changes to his Rioja list. ‘People are looking for new sensations and want to try new things.’
With such an impressive cellar, what does Igor choose to drink? ‘I’m a Rioja drinker. I like young vintages in the market now just as much as old vintages.
I love producers like Artadi [no longer a member of the Rioja DOCa, but it displays the regional name of Alava on its labels], Familia Eguren (Sierra Cantabria, Viñedos de Páganos, Señorío de San Vicente), Muga and Marqués de Murrieta.’
Miguel Martínez
Founder: Vinum Vita, Haro
In Haro, home to the historic Barrio de la Estación district where some of Rioja’s most famous wineries can be found, Miguel Martínez established his wine shop and bar Vinum Vita some five years ago.
‘We have always loved the great classic wines of Haro,’ he begins. Does he have a favourite? ‘It’s difficult to name one in particular, as we would be leaving out some exceptional wines.’
Like his colleagues in Logroño, he has also noticed a change in tastes. ‘Even though we still have customers who lean towards the classics, in general they are looking for fruitier and fresher wines.’
With an Enomatic wine-serving machine, he also always has plenty of wines available for customers to try in convenient sampling pours. Martínez tries to present his customers with great-quality wines that offer value for money.
‘We opt for quality wines that truly express what Rioja is today without neglecting tradition. In particular, we want to highlight small, young growers and winemakers who are making great wines with the DOCa.’
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Beth Willard is a wine communicator and judge with a particular passion for the wines of Spain. A regular contributor to Decanter and one of the five Co-Chairs of the DWWA, she is also a member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino.