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With a global advertising campaign, the Spanish wine-growing region Rioja wants to improve its image in eleven selected countries, including Germany. Under the claim "Saber Quién Eres" (in German "know who you are"), which is to be communicated in Spanish in all target countries, drawings by the Rioja-born artist Carlos Corres are shown. He drew them with red wine from the grape varieties Graciano, Mazuelo and Tempranillo.
Part of the campaign is to communicate the new cultivation and vinification regulations that were adopted by the Consejo Regulador DOCa Rioja in 2017. The new wine categories say goodbye to the previous classifications according to ageing time and are now divided into "Vinos de Zona" (area wines with names such as Rioja Alta or Rioja Alaves), "Vinos de Municipio" (local wines) and "Viñedos Singulares" (single vineyards with vines at least 35 years old and reduced yields), as well as the new sparkling wine category "Espumosos de Calidad de Rioja" with obligatory ageing times of at least 15 to 36 months.
The Consejo Regulador has imposed stricter rules on the still existing, traditional maturity categories Reserva and Gran Reserva. As of January 2019, reservas must mature in the bottle for at least six months in the winery. In this way, those responsible want to significantly reduce the "Reserva" category in the mass market. Gran Reservas must continue to mature for a total of at least five years, of which now only at least two in the barrel and two in the bottle. The storage of the remaining year of maturation is left to the producer and his style - it is his decision whether he stores the wine in barrique, tank or bottle.
(uka / Photo: Uwe Kauss)