Meet Your New Favourite Winter Wine
Raise a glass to Feliz Rioja, a month-long celebration of Spain’s iconic Rioja wine region, now back for its third year, and this time with a festive twist. Throughout November, Rioja wines will take centre stage at retailers and restaurants across the UK, offering a taste of the Rioja region’s rich heritage and diverse flavours.
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Feliz Rioja: A Festive Celebration of Rioja Wine
If you’re a wine lover, now’s the perfect opportunity to explore Rioja wines as you get ready for the festive season and search for the perfect gifts. Over the next month, retailers, wine bars and restaurants nationwide will be showcasing the diverse wines of Rioja with promotions and in-store tastings. If you’d like to find out what’s happening near you, the Rioja Wine Directory is a comprehensive guide for discovering your nearest participating retailer or restaurant, as well as finding Rioja wines at various locations across the UK.
EXPLORE THE RIOJA WINE DIRECTORY
What’s Special About Rioja Wine?
In short, the answer is its history and heart. With a wine heritage dating back over 2,000 years, Rioja is not just a type of wine, but a whole wine country, which produces an impressively diverse range of wines. A region in the north of Spain, Rioja is located along the picturesque Ebro River, and surrounded by the majestic Sierra de Cantabria and Sierra de la Demanda mountains.
Offering a breathtaking 100km of diversity and landscapes, Rioja is a melting pot of climates, valleys, villages, grape varieties, colours and styles of wine. Home to almost 600 wineries and 65,000 hectares of vineyards, Rioja was voted the leading Spanish wine region in the Top 100 vineyards to visit in the world at the 2023 World’s Best Vineyards competition.
The Rioja region boasts a spectacular variety of wine styles, from rich barrel-aged reds to zesty whites, fresh light wines, delicate rosés, and even sparkling wines. Today, a new generation of winemakers are delving into the personality, diversity and sustainability of the terroir, to blend tradition and innovation, ‘old’ and ‘new’ styles of winemaking. This is reflected in the rising sales of white and rosado wines, accounting for a notable 13.23% of Rioja sales in the UK last year.
As well as celebrating the variety of wines produced here, the region has sustainably at its heart, and the practices adopted by this new generation – like conserving energy, preserving ecosystems, and maintaining healthy soil – are essential to safeguarding the future of Rioja’s landscape and people, ensuring they can grow grapes for years to come.
Rioja Wine Flavour Profile
Rioja wines have a distinct personality, and whether your drink of choice is red, white, rosé or sparkling, these wines are recognised all over the world for their quality of flavour. With a vast selection of options to cater to all tastes, depending on how it’s made and aged, you can expect big flavour.
Younger wines have zesty, fruity notes, while the longer aged wines pick up oak flavours from the barrel, which makes them an incredibly versatile choice when it comes to food pairings.
Dubbed as Spain’s gastronomic heartland, Rioja wines perfectly complement a wide range of Spanish and international dishes. Classic, medium-bodied Rioja reds pair best with red meat – think lamb or beef roasts and cheeseboards – while white and rosé Rioja wines pair perfectly with festive canapés, grilled fish, or Christmas day turkey.
Whether you’re tucking into small plates with friends, indulging in a Sunday roast, or enjoying a grand festive feast, there’s a Rioja wine that’s just right for the occasion.
Feliz Rioja is the month-long celebration of Spain’s iconic Rioja wine region.
Shop Our Favourite Rioja Wines
You can explore Rioja wines during Feliz Rioja by visiting the Rioja Wine Directory – your ultimate guide to discovering retailers and restaurants across the UK that offer wines from Spain’s finest wine-producing region. To get you started, we’ve handpicked our favourites from different producers. These wines are perfect for every festive occasion, whether it’s a drinks party, a cosy evening curled up on the sofa, or a special gift for a loved one this Christmas.
For more information on Feliz Rioja, and to find out what’s happening in your area throughout November, visit the Rioja Wine Directory at www.buyrioja.co.uk, and follow Rioja Wine on socials:
Instagram: @riojawine
Facebook: Rioja Wine
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