Rioja Oriental
Continental, Mediterranean-influenced
Rioja's warmest, driest zone, formerly called Rioja Baja, where Garnacha thrives alongside Tempranillo in riper, fuller-bodied wine.
Overview
About Rioja Oriental
Renamed from Rioja Baja in the 2017 rezoning, Rioja Oriental stretches east and south along the Ebro, the furthest of the three subzones from the Atlantic's cooling influence and the warmest and driest as a result. Garnacha does particularly well here, and a new generation of growers — among them Alvaro Palacios's family project at Bodegas Palacios Remondo — has pushed the zone's reputation well beyond its old role as a source of everyday blending wine.
Rioja Oriental is marked on the map.
Spain
Shaded: La Rioja. Map units are states, provinces or départements, so a smaller place appears as the larger area that contains it.
The land
Climate & terroir
Climate
Continental, Mediterranean-influenced
The warmest and driest of Rioja's three subzones, with a more Mediterranean feel than the Atlantic-cooled west, giving riper fruit and higher natural alcohol.
Terroir & soils
What the vines grow in
Alluvial and ferrous clay along the Ebro valley, generally flatter and warmer than the hillier western zones.
Go deeper
Rules, years & producers
Bodegas Palacios Remondo
Alfaro; Álvaro Palacios's family estate, a leader in the zone's modern reputation.
Ontañón
Logroño; a large producer with vineyards across the eastern zone.