According to the affirmations of many wine-growers",  Rioja, which is one of the most important wine regions of Spain, is becoming more polarized in what is concerning the quality of their wines.  "The region has become more divided. On the one hand, in the extreme south they produce wine in big quantities, while in other parts they focus more on good quality rather than on quantity.

There are wine-growers that damage the image of the Rioja wine when they place Gran Reserve wines at the market at the price of only 8 pounds (12 euros)",  Jesús Madrazo, head of Viñedos del Continuo, told Uvinum during his last visit to London.  

I know that I'm going to surprise you with my choices of designations of origin for 2012. The news is that I have knocked out two of my favorites: DO Ribera del Duero and DO Toro, to include others, it is quite a step. The reason is that I do not want to be so repetitive and that tasting new wines is always fun.

The first on this podium is the DOCA Rioja, which gives us so much satisfaction when we are outside Spain, as it is the easiest to find and everyone knows or have heard about it. Already within our borders, we find that Rioja is a great region (of which I am a fan) for the beauty of its landscapes, its rich cuisine (also regarding sweets, do not think that stewed potatoes with chorizo Rioja-style are all what they have to offer) and the fantastic wineries, particularly proliferating in the Haro area.

Rioja wine is the best seller in Spain, the most recognized abroad, the most discussed, but, however, sometimes we do not realize that talking about Rioja in general is a simplification that detracts the wines.

So, when we talk about Rioja, we are mixing the 3 sub-zones that draw up the appellation, which do not have much in common with each other:

First, in alphabetical order, is Rioja Alavesa. There are 18 wine-producing municipalities in Alava under this appellation, which features are the Atlantic climate and calcareous-clayey soils. The produced wines have a balanced acidity, and it is considered a very suitable zone to the most traditional reds and also the most complex whites.

This week Appellations of Origin Rioja and Ribera del Duero have made public the status of the vintage 2010. In both cases it was considered that 2010 should be considered "excellent."

The rating of the vintage is done after putting controls on young wines of each appellation, by the respective Control Board. These young wines that already are on sale, can at the same time predict the average quality of the Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva wines which will come out in the next years.

In Rioja, the Denomination of Origin covers an area of 100 km. long by 40km. maximum wide, that is, a lot of land. Each of the 3 Subareas (Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa) has a very different type of soil, and climates (going though the Mediterranean to continental), so the conditions have not been the same for all, neither can wine come out equal. Another thing is the case of very large production wineries that buy grapes throughout the whole D.O., so they are able to maintain a standardized flavor year after year.