Red La Rioja DOZEN!

The Irish drink more red Rioja per capita than anywhere else in the world - well done us!

This Red Rioja Dozen reprents all sides of this most famous Spanish wine region, both old school and new wave, single variety and blend, geographical and age classification. Though we are inching towards white and rose season, there is always a huge need for BBQ reds.

There are 3 Joven style Riojas (Joven meaning young). These are where barrels have been used only minimally if at all. They are bright, high toned and juicy - smashable Rioja. On the other side of the coin we have a couple of aged Rioja, a pair of Crianza which shows that typical rustic fruit and barrell age, as well as a Reserva from 2016.



We have some New-Wave La Rioja. One is a field blend made with carbonic maceration (like in Beaujolais) and white grapes as well as red. There are a further three mono-varietal (single variety) wines without the use of Tempranillo at all which is the chief component of Rioja. There are a pair of transitional Riojas, in that they lean into geographical classification rather than the age classification (though one qualifies as a Crianza). These wines mix old school and modern production methods as well as concrete, French & American oak. STSWine