Andrew Polmear writes for the love of wine . . .

I LAST WROTE about red Rioja in June 2019 and said that the white wines of that glorious area would need their own article. I didn’t then write such as article because, frankly, I thought there wasn’t much to say. All the white Rioja I’d tasted had been decent, full-bodied, with a light, occasionally lemony tang, but without much individual character. Indeed, they only planted vines for white wine in Rioja in the first place to add them to the reds to soften the harshness, not with a thought of ever making white wine. Then, at a Rioja tasting at L’Atelier du Vin at Seven Dials, I tasted a white from 2008 which overturned everything I’d understood. It was full-bodied all right but the flavour was of toast and caramel, of nuts and marzipan. This, I now realise, is the true old-style Rioja white. The grapes are the same as in the ordinary white wines (Viura, Garnacha Blanca and Malvasia). The thing to look for on the label is the word Crianza. This guarantees that the wine has been aged in oak for at least six months. In fact, to make these rich stunning wines, they are often aged in oak for three years then matured in bottle for 3 to 12 years. The wine I tasted was by one of the great Rioja firms, Lopez de Heredia, from their Gravonia vineyard. You can buy their 2005 version from Berry Brothers for £37 a bottle. Continue reading White Rioja →