In February 2015, leading producer Bodegas Artadi sent shockwaves through the Rioja region after they announced their decision to leave the appellation structure – an unprecedented occurrence in the zone. Their proposal, to henceforth market all their wines under the basic Vino de Mesa designation was met with a mixture of disbelief and admiration; Artadi are a leading producer of super-premium Rioja, with their top label, El Pisón, selling for £170.00 ($257.00) a bottle. So why did they do it?
“The Rioja DO [appellation] is simply too large,” said owner Juan Carlos López de LaCalle, pointing out that it covers 63,137 ha, according to the census of 2013. “There is no other singular appellation covering such a large vineyard area - Rioja is a designation that gives no due recognition to any differential in vineyard quality and it is for this reason that we have been forced to leave the DO,” he added. “Our consumers appreciate the quality of our wines as Artadi. The key is that we are Artadi, not Rioja,” he went on. “For this reason, I believe that although it is a difficult step that will require some education, our decision will generate growth in the market and entice new consumers to try our wines.”
In a wider sense, the fallout from this announcement has been minimal, at least on a practical level. Any fears of a ‘domino effect’ in the region have been allayed by many high-profile wineries voicing their desire to remain within the DO. Nevertheless, Artadi's decision has prompted a debate behind closed doors about whether the DO framework reflects the priorities and values of today’s producers.
European context
Departures from appellations are far from unknown in Europe. Italy’s modern wine revolution was sparked by the decision of top Tuscan producers to sell their wines as Vino da Tavola. Angelo Gaja famously withdrew some of his wine from Barbaresco, while Sandro Boscaini took his Campofiorin out of the Valpolicella DOC and now sells it as an IGT. In Spain, in November 2012, Cava producer Raventós I Blanc left the sparkling DO to market their wines under an uncertified designation, Conca del Rui Anoia. Owner Pepe Raventós felt that “the DO was too focused on volume and not on quality.”
Of course, there are key differences between the situation in Cava and Artadi’s decision; Artadi sells expensive Rioja in various markets, while Raventos left Cava because it “suffers with a chronic cheap and cheerful image problem.”
But what unites them is their passionate belief that terroir must be reflected in their respective wines, with legal recognition given to the superior vineyards within an appellation. “It is true that this has not been an easy decision, but we understand that it is the only way to achieve our goal of defining Artadi’s wines on the basis of the identity of our vineyard,” explains de Lacalle.
The focus on terroir is quite novel in Spain where, historically, the quality of wines was associated with the length of time they spent in barrel, with Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva being priced in ascending order. “The system of Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva is cemented into Riojan tradition,” explains Contino winemaker Jesus Madrazo. “That’s why the concept of terroir has been ignored for so long here.”
Rules specifying minimum quantities for bodegas wanting to bottle and sell barrel-matured wines also handicapped small estates of the kind that are seen in France and Italy. Rioja's vineyards are divided between 17,000 owners, most of whom produce wine that they sell to the bodegas, who blend it and store it until it is ready to be sold. “The wineries only own around 20% of the vineyards, the rest being in growers’ hands,” explains Valenciso co-owner Luis Valentin. He continues: “Fifty percent of the total production is controlled by fewer than 10 wineries. As in Champagne, big producers still believe in blending wines from climatically different areas. For traditional Riojans, the three sub-regions – Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa – each have something to contribute.”
Today, however, some producers want each sub-region and vineyard to express itself. “It's ridiculous to categorise such a diverse range of terroirs, wines and climates under one simple designation,” argues winemaker Telmo Rodríguez. “The equivalent would be lumping all of Burgundy's incredibly varied wines under one simple generic Vin de Bourgogne appellation, which is clearly nonsensical.”
Madrazo shares Artadi’s and Rodriguez’s frustration, noting that: “It's hardly fair that under the same umbrella, we have Reserva wines at €5.00 ($5.43) or less, and Reserva wines at €40.00! It's confusing, at least for those of us who seek quality.” He continues: “So we surely need to modernise the DO for the 21st century.” He suggests there are many technical aspects of the DO framework that can be improved: “the rules stipulate you must use 225-L barrels.
Why not different volumes, for starters? Also the rules on irrigation, yields and permitted varieties could all be revised.” Even so, while fighting for change, he affirms his commitment to remain within the DO.
Appellation rules
The body responsible for the Rioja DO, the Consejo Regulador, was established in 1926. Today, it oversees a legal framework that appears in principle to have changed little over the decades, but which in practice has allowed recent innovations, such as the addition of Chardonnay to white Rioja blends, and small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon in some reds. It cannot fail to acknowledge the region’s newer firmament of often highly successful winemakers, who produce and market their wines in a different way, possibly using 100% Tempranillo from single vineyards aged in new French oak to craft a more international style.
As Luis Alberto Martinez Verdugo, export director for Bodegas Remírez de Ganuza, notes: “Yes the DO framework in Rioja needs to be updated – the classification system has to be based on wine selection, not on the length of ageing.” Ramón Román, marketing director at Marques de Riscal agrees. “It is totally true that nowadays it is more difficult to sell Reserva and Gran Reserva wines. They’re complex wines that not everyone can understand,” he says. Reinforcing the fact that Rioja is not a homogenous region will create value and, hopefully, foster further consumer interest.
Rioja is Spain's major export triumph, achieving record sales of 281m L in 2014, with significant market growth in the UK, Russia and Mexico. But, the original framework devised in the 1920s no longer reflects the modern face of Rioja. As markets have expanded and routes to market changed, once-prestigious designations like Reserva and Gran Reserva are increasingly seen on bottles selling at low prices by discounters, while US critics regularly applaud high- quality and high-price wines that use neither term. As modernisers like to point out, the requirement for superior wines to be released as Reservas is only implied, not required by the regulations.
But if there is a growing view that barrel-ageing, and the Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva designations are the only criteria for quality in Rioja and elsewhere in Spain is no longer appropriate, the people calling for change differ in the path they would like to follow. There have been suggestions of a Burgundian-style vineyard classification in Rioja, despite the clear political hurdles that would have to be overcome and the monumental amount of time and resources. Contino’s Madrazo, however, advocates following the Champagne model, with the Consejo Regulador rating each wine village based on the quality of its vineyards. This rating would then be used to set a price.
The Consejo also has to take account of producers who may feel just as strongly about maintaining the status quo. Any kind of vineyard classification could dramatically affect the value of their vineyards and in some cases raise the prices bigger bodegas pay for grapes and wine.
Meanwhile, as both sides put their arguments across, the DO authority is clearly listening. According to Valentin, a former member of the Consejo marketing board, the arguments in favour of creating a designation for single-village wines is gaining momentum. “Although I don't want to see a Grand Cru/Premier Cru system in Rioja, a proposal to introduce a new category of superior village wines is currently being considered by the authority,” Valentin says. “This controlled designation of origin idea has merit. It is not in opposition to our current system and gives the wineries the possibly of promoting their individual terroirs within a distinct category.”
The choice
There are precedents elsewhere in Spain. The Penedès authorities took heed of Raventós’ criticisms, introducing a new top-level designation for Cava made from single vineyards. The new category – Cava de Paraje Calificado (Qualified Single Estate Cava) – will guarantee that the wine is made from a particular site, and that the vineyard is estate owned. This means the Riojan authorities have the benefit of an already-established formula they can follow, if they go down this route. However, a brief examination of other countries reveals that whatever decisions are made are unlikely to be universally popular.
Barolo, for example, also has a tradition of blending wines from different parts of the region – and a fierce ongoing battle between supporters of the status quo and innovators that was the subject of a 2014 documentary called ‘Barolo Boys – The story of a Revolution’. Differences in opinion within Germany are clearly apparent from the fact that Erstes Gewächs, Grosses Gewächs and Erste Lage vineyard designations have been introduced on a region-by-region basis rather than nationally. In France, as Tyson Stelzer reveals in The Champagne Guide 2014–2015, the system of Grand and Permier cru villages favoured by Jesus Madrazo has been attacked by high-profile producers such as Didier Gimonnet, Pierre Larmandier and Antoine Roland-Billecart of Billecart-Salmon.
Despite the frustration of some of its producers and the confusion among consumers over styles and prices, Rioja remains one of the wine world’s biggest success stories and one of the best-known regional wine brands. Moves by high-profile producers like Artadi may well help to drive a move towards a more terroir-focused approach, as will the higher prices commanded by some terroir-driven wines. But prestgious Gran Reservas also still have a strong following that no one will want to lose. Ultimately, as elsewhere, whatever decisioms are made, the winners in Rioja will be the producers with the strongest brands.
Additional reporting by Robert Joseph.
