Rioja Alavesa Organic

About this product

Rioja Alavesa is the northern, Basque-influenced corner of the Rioja DOCa, on the Álava side of the Ebro. Its limestone-clay soils and cooler Atlantic climate are what make the difference in the glass: the Tempranillo here tends to be more elegant and structured, with freshness the warmer zones can lose. It is a region serious wine lists single out by name. This wine is grown and made organically by family producers, a choice that shows in the purity of the fruit rather than on a label alone. Expect bright red and dark fruit, gentle oak, fine-grained tannin, and a long savoury finish, the kind of wine that supports food instead of fighting it. That makes it a natural anchor for a Spanish-led programme. It sits beautifully beside Ibérico ham, mature heritage beef, grilled red meat, and aged Manchego, which is exactly where an Irish wine bar or restaurant will pour it, by the glass or the bottle. Serve at sixteen to eighteen degrees and open thirty minutes before service; decant young vintages briefly.