When someone orders “Rioja”, most of they time they are referring to the Tempranillo grape. Rioja is a wine region in northern Spain that is the most well-known region for growing Tempranillio.
Rioja uses a tightly regulated system of qualifying their wines, making it pretty easy to find what you like. Every bottle from Rioja has a sticker on the back of the bottle with one of the following classifications: JOVEN, CRIANTHA, RESERVA, or GRAND RESERVA.
They look like this:
So how do you know what wine to choose? Well, it depends mostly on how much oak aging you like in your wine. We recommend Bodegas Larchago Wines that are grown Rioja Alavesa, which is the most well known sub-region. The Tempranillo grapes cultivated in this area are considered the best Tempranillo quality in Rioja.
Bodegas Larchago started in 1882 and has been producing high-quality wine ever sense.
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JOVEN | 0 oak required before being sold.
- WHERE TO FIND
Larchago Rioja 2014: Swirl Sensational Wines, Grande Krewe, Willa Jean Restaurant,Queen & Crescent Hotel, Purloo, Milkfish, Bacchanal Wine, Bin Q.
CRIANTHA | Wines aged for 2 years with a minimum of 12 months in oak and 12 months in the bottle before being sold.
- WHERE TO FIND
- Larchago Crianza Rioja 2012: Milkfish, Bin Q, Willa Jean, Calandro's.
RESERVA | Wines are aged for 3 years with a minimum of 12 months in oak and 24 months in the bottle.
- WHERE TO FIND
- Larchago Reserva Rioja 2009: Swirl Sensational Wines, Milkfish, Calandro's, Bin Q, Victory, Louisiana Pizza Kitchen FQ, Red, White and Brew, Jacmel Inn.
- Larchago Izarbe Reserva Rioja 2008: Swirl Sensational Wines, Grande Krewe, Milkfish, BinQ, Calandro's, Red, White and Brew, Irene’s Cuisine, NOLA Restaurant, Bayona.
GRAN RESERVA | These wines are aged for 5 years with a minimum of 24 months in oak and 36 months in the bottle.
- WHERE TO FIND
- Swirl Sensational Wines, Irene’s Cuisine, Bin Q, Jacmel Inn, Bayou Wine Garden.
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Bizou Wines | New Orleans Importer & Distributor of Fine Artisan Wines and Spirits