Spain: Rioja - White, Crianza & Sin Crianza
2019 GOLD: 3 SILVER: 8 BRONZE: 8 COMMENDED: 20
2018 GOLD: 7 SILVER: 8 BRONZE: 7 COMMENDED: 13
This was a poor performance from the younger end of the Rioja portfolio. Well, we say ‘younger’ but in fact ‘sin crianza’ or ‘joven’ classification doesn’t really mean ‘unaged’, so much as ‘not conforming to the classification systems laid down by the DO’. It’s the Jeremy Corbyn of wine categories.
And like Jezza, once you got past the initial excitement it was all a bit disappointing really. The cheeriest positivity was mostly reserved for the cheaper wines – the ‘proper’ jovens with no pesky oak to get in the way. They were the Glastonbury moment, if you like, with everyone cheering their name.
But the crianzas were a nightmare. Tight, green, over-oaked, hot, baked… they were everything that our tasters didn’t want to see in what should be the most approachable of wine styles. Just seven medals out of a big entry was demoralising.
Congrats to Olarra, though, which picked up three medals (including our only crianza Gold) and also to Bodegas Taron for its magnificently named ‘Pantocrator’ wine, which sounds like a destroyer robot in the Marvel series.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘The whites had much more fruit and aromatics than I was expecting. They were fresh and approachable, good for offering to people who would usually drink Sauvignon Blanc.’ Giuseppe Longobardi, The Cross Kenilworth, Simpsons & Edgbaston
‘The worst flight of crianzas I’ve had in my 15 years. Volatile, aggressive… don’t force the wine to do something it’s not!’ Emanuel Pesqueira, consultant
‘A lot of people start at crianza level and go upwards, but joven could be useful as a house style in a brasserie or licensed cafe.’ Michael Fiducia, The Royal Automobile Club
‘At £20, I think people would be happier to pay for these than to pay more for something like New Zealand Pinot.’ Valentin Radosav, Gymkhana Restaurant
‘White Rioja should just be white Rioja: delicate, with old oak, and a beautiful fruitiness, with that kind of savoury character, and great acidity.’ Alan Bednarski, Texture
‘Lots of nasty oak and hard tannins in the crianzas. Over-extracted, and some very old-fashioned, porty, raisined wines. They need to look at themselves and see what they’re doing. You can barely see the fruit.’ Victoria Sharples, St John Wines
‘Rioja crianza, when done well, can represent excellent value for money. And we saw some cracking examples under £10. Approachable, easy to understand.’ Laura Rhys MS, team leader