Rioja: The Other Black Grape Varieties

Tempranillo accounts for 80% of all plantings within Rioja, and 90% of all wine is red; Tempranillo is the dominant variety and we can’t really assess Rioja without understanding the early-ripening grape which is made in many different forms from fruity and juicy to oak-aged and very mature.

But there are several other black varieties planted in Rioja and with the increasing trend in single-varietal wines they are easier to understand than before. Garnacha is the most obvious alternative to Tempranillo (with which it often forms a blend), but there’s also Graciano, Mazuelo (Carignan), and Maturana Tinta. Bottlings from these varieties offer an insight into the various regions, villages, and vineyards of Rioja and proof that the wines are not one uniform style.

garnacha

Garnacha (aka Grenache) is one of my favourite grape varieties, and also one of the most misunderstood. Everything listed in text books is often wrong: it isn’t low in acidity, in fact it can be very fresh (and its acidity is naturally higher than Tempranillo); it isn’t especially low in tannin (ever tried Châteauneuf-du-Pape?); it can be high in alcohol, but there are great examples which are just 12.5%. Textbook descriptions hurt the reputation of Garnacha, reinforced by the way the variety was used in Spain historically. Across Spain, including Rioja, Garnacha was planted for its high yields which produced fruity, generous wines which were inexpensive or simply used to beef up Tempranillo.

Across the world, Garnacha/Grenache is being taken more seriously: in the south of France, around Spain, in Australia, and in Washington State. In many of these regions, old vines, usually bush-trained, best express the joy of Garnacha: a crunchy red fruit, spicy, firmly tannic character that also adds a friendly personality to rosé and sparkling wine.

In Rioja, Garnacha is most associated with the warmer sub-region of Rioja Oriental but it’s grown all over, excelling at higher elevation where the cooler climate allows a longer growing season. The wines are made in a wide range of styles, from high-alcohol, fruit-forward wines to lower-alcohol and more restrained, demonstrating the diversity of both Rioja and Garnacha.

Bodegas Bilbainos “Viña Pomal” Brut Reserva 2020

There may not be much sparkling wine made from Garnacha, but there are some lovely examples made in Spain and elsewhere. The Brut Reserva from Bilbainos is aged for 24 months on the lees and has a graceful red fruit, floral, herbal profile typical of Garnacha.

Gómez-Cruzado “Pancrudo” 2023

From three vineyards in the village of Badaram and aged in a combination of different vessels for a pale, light, gentle, floral style of Garnacha: just 12.8% ABV.

Ramón Bilbao Garnacha 2015

Released to celebrate the winery’s 100th anniversary, this Garnacha is aged for 100 months (!) in concrete tanks, oak barrels, and amphorae. The wine has a remarkable freshness which completely gives the lie to the idea that Garnacha has low acidity. A clean, smooth, and delicious wine. Ramón Bilbao also make “Litmus” which is 100% Garnacha from 650m elevation, light, bright, fresh, floral, crunchy, spicy, and herbal. There’s also rosado: Fincalalinde is 90% Garnacha, 10% Viura, demonstrating further the range of wines that can be made from the variety.

Other producers to try include Arizcuren, based in Quel; Carlos Mazo, whose Garnacha based wines are low in alcohol and very restrained; and Sierra de Toloño, one of my favourite Rioja producers who make wine from high-elevation sites for a very reflective style.

graciano

A variety that was virtually extinct in the 1970s, Graciano is difficult to work with due to its uneven ripening and low yields: its nickname is “gracías no.” It’s a useful blending grape though, as it adds both tannins and a floral, perfumed element. Tasting several single-varietal wines showed the range of styles that can be made, though they weren’t always convincing and more tannic than I was expecting. Amaren (“of the mother” in Basque) make a Graciano which is meaty, herbal, and Syrah like; Villota’s Graciano is chewy, dense, and dark.

mazuelo

The Rioja name for Cariñena/Carignan, Mazuelo is a very useful blending grape as it adds acidity, tannin, and colour. It can also have excessive yields, which dilutes quality, but like elsewhere in Spain and France (and California) old vines produce wines of exceptional depth and concentration. The Beronia Reserva is aged in a combination of French and American oak barrels, making it a very classical representation of Rioja albeit a rare example of single-varietal Mazuelo. In contrast, Vivanco make a Mazuelo which spends fourteen months in French oak and which is floral, earthy, leathery, with ripe plum aromas, a very typical expression of Carignan.

maturana tinta de navarette

Called Castets in France, where it’s now a permitted variety in Bordeaux; confusingly, Maturana Tinta is also linked to Trousseau which buds earlier and is also grown in Rioja. I didn’t realise anyone was making single-varietal Maturana Tinta but I got to taste quite a few while visiting. “Parcelas de Maturana Tinta” by Vivanco comes from two vineyards in the village of Briones; Ezki make a spicy, juicy, ripe example called “Valdebil”; Valdemar “Balcón de Pilatos” is aged for eleven months in American oak for a powerful wine with gripping tannins and finesse on the finish.

These different black grape varieties emphasise the diversity of wines being made in Rioja; often from old vines or individual sites, they give different yet defined expressions of the region. Tempranillo is key to understanding Rioja, but so too are these other varieties.