Rioja: Oak Barrels
I don’t think I’ve seen as many oak barrels in such a short period of time as my few days in Rioja, not even when visiting wineries in Napa. There are other vessels for both fermentation and maturation, for instance stainless steel, concrete, and cement which are used in conjunction with oak. But the range of oak barrels was overwhelming; 225 litres to 5,000; American, French, Slavonian, and even Spanish oak; new, used, and old; various degrees of exposure to oxygen; the nature of lees contact; the length of ageing; how oak is used for white, red, rosado, and sparkling. Oak is so central to Rioja’s wines, but there is not one consistent feature in the use of oak that defines the region.
Even the history of the use of oak barrels is contested. Ageing wines in oak barrels came from the influence of Bordeaux producers from the 1860s onwards; they turned to Rioja as phylloxera devastated French vineyards. Previously, the wines of Rioja were simple, put into sheep bladders for pilgrims walking to Santiago de Compostela. Bordeaux producers taught local winemakers to focus on specific vineyards which had the potential to be aged in oak barrels, developing complex tertiary aromas, a style of wine now strongly associated with Rioja and the categories of Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva.
But the story quickly becomes murky. If Bordeaux producers were so influential in persuading Rioja winemakers to age their wines in oak, why did American oak become such a dominant part of the style of wines? The conclusion is that French oak was too expensive, but France is just across the border; the advice producers were receiving was coming from France; it’s logical that French oak would have been used. There is a theory that American oak only became common after the First World War, as there was a shortage of French oak after such a devastating conflict. This makes sense, but still doesn’t quite explain why American oak became such an engrained feature of Rioja’s wines. Perhaps it’s because the 1920s led straight into the Spanish Civil War and over thirty years of isolation; the wines of Rioja, like the rest of Spain, remained static, stuck in traditions that no one knew quite how they had emerged.
However the practice of American oak in Rioja developed, it remains a central part of the region’s identity. There are various species of American oak, but they all have a clear dill, fennel, coconut character which I often mistake for volatile acidity. The oak flavours are more assertive than French oak, which has a spicy, grainy texture. Traditionally, American oak was made in quite a different way than French oak; rather than cut into staves, American barrels were made from large quarters which made the oak texture even more aggressive. This has changed, not just in Rioja, and American oak has become more subtle and complex in its influence on wines, even if the differences between French and American oak remain apparent.
Visiting several wineries in Rioja demonstrated how the use of oak influences styles of wine, becoming a house characteristic. Campo Viejo make 10% of all Rioja and have 79,000 oak barrels in the cellar: I haven’t seen so much oak in one place at the same time, not even in a forest. It’s astonishing to see so many barrels in a winery that’s mainly found in the supermarket, confirming that mainstream perceptions of Rioja are defined by oak. There is, of course, nothing wrong with using oak as an ageing vessel but when it becomes the dominant feature of mid-priced wine then the personality of the grape varieties, vineyards, and vintage are lost.
Another winery with a colossal amount of oak barrels is Martínez-Lacuesta. Their approach is traditional and quite unique. The barrels are racked every six months by hand, and I got to witness two cellar workers transfer wine from one barrel to another (pictured above). Almost like a solera system, the barrels are tapped and the wine is slowly pumped to another, old barrel. A candle is lit by the original barrel; when it goes out it means there’s nothing left in the barrel but sediment. There was something serenely joyous watching them at work, the wine pouring from barrel to barrel in the dark, dusty cellar.
This traditional method is in contrast to Marqués de Riscal, where much more modern, international racking is used for their oak-heavy, ageworthy wines. Quéiron in the village of Quel have developed a very sophisticated racking system in which the wine is moved back and forth between stainless steel tanks, before being transferred to oak barrels for prolonged ageing. Marqués de Cáceres have oak barrels of different shapes, narrowing to the top where there’s a small amount of aeration.
Some producers use a combination of French and American oak, maintaining the traditions of Rioja while making wines which are internationally friendly. The Reserva by Corral is 70% French, 30% American with a fine, balanced oak influence; the Crianza by Aradón is 50/50 for a fresh, easy style, while the more serious Reserva is all American oak. Although there’s plenty of fresh, youthful white wine, the practice of oak-aged whites continues. Cosme Palacio produces a rich, oak-aged Viura; Tierra Fidel by Tierra is a field blend aged for nine months in foudres; the Blanco from Gómez-Cruzado is fermented in barrel and aged in a mixture of oak and concrete for over four months. Even sparkling wine may see some oak: the Reserva Brut Nature by Fernádez de Piérola, a blend of Viura and Tempranillo Blanc, spends two years in barrel.
This is not to say that Rioja is solely defined by oak, but it is a central consideration when discussing the wines, whether the oak is small or large, new or used, American or French, and if other vessels have been used in conjunction with barrels. Each producer has an individual approach, highlighting the range of wines made across the region.
